Documentation Status Research Articles

Perceptions of Latinos and Political Stances

This paper explores perceptions among white Americans about Hispanics in the United States, the relationship between perceptions and policy stances on immigration and laws pertaining to culture (like official-English laws), and whether the dissemination of facts can affect perceptions and policy stances. In a survey experiment, half of the respondents were asked to guess the share of the Hispanic population living in the United States that is undocumented, unemployed, and fluent in English. The other half of respondents read true information about Hispanic documentation status, employment status, and English fluency. All respondents were then asked about immigration policies and culturally-related laws. Results reveal that great misperceptions about Hispanics exist. People overestimate the share undocumented and unemployed, and drastically underestimate the share fluent in English. Such misperceptions have a relationship with support for restrictive immigration policies and cultural laws. Moreover, when people are faced with facts that counter their misperceptions, while most do update their perceptions accordingly, a substantial share of respondents firmly hold on to misperceptions. Finally, learning new information that counters misperceptions does not affect policy stances.

Indigenous Places and the Making of Undocumented Status in Mexico-US Migration

The uneven distribution of economic and social resources across communities often falls along ethno-racial dimensions. Few demographers have considered whether such axes of place stratification in a migrant-sending country relate to individuals’ access to economic and social resources in a migrant-receiving country. Taking Mexico-US migration flows as our focus, we examine if having origins in an indigenous place, a primary axis of stratification in Mexico, is associated with migrants’ documentation status when crossing the border, a primary dimension of stratification in the United States. We rely on individual-level data from the Mexican Migration Project merged with municipal-level data from the Mexican Census. Using multilevel models, we find that migrants from communities in indigenous municipalities in Mexico are more likely to migrate undocumented than documented to the United States compared with those from communities in non-indigenous municipalities, net of the economic and social resources identified in prior work as useful for international movement. We discuss why indigenous places — marked by a set of correlated conditions of economic and social disadvantage — disproportionately channel migrants into an undocumented status. This study contributes to understandings of stratification processes in cross-border contexts and has implications for the production of inequality in the United States.

An Alternative Approach for Identifying a Hidden Immigrant Population

We propose an alternative method for identifying undocumented immigrants in public use household data. Our approach departs from the commonly used likely unauthorized (LU) method in that we do not resort to classifying individuals on the basis of their specific geographic origin. We instead consider health insurance status of different family members coupled with the Affordable Care Act insurance mandates, referring to this strategy for sorting individuals by documentation status as the Affordable Care Mandate (ACM) approach. The LU method is generally limited to identifying individuals originating from Latin America. By contrast, the ACM approach enables us to identify individuals who are apparently undocumented and originate from all regions of the world. We also compare our results to the Reconstructed Pew Algorithm (RPA). The RPA is not limited in terms of which adults it can classify, but it does involve making a larger number of judgment calls with respect to the final design of the algorithm. The ACM has its limits in that it can only be applied to individuals who have US-born children who currently reside in the household. Using the 2015–2017 March Supplements to the CPS, we test the ACM against the LU and RPA approaches by estimating simple models of labor force participation and fertility by presumed legal status. Using the alternative methods, we obtain similar, though not identical, results and argue that the ACM approach holds promise for studying the behavior of undocumented immigrants that does not resort to ethnic profiling and uses fewer judgment calls.

Cultural Issues in the Provision of Emergency Care to Irregular Migrants Who Arrive in Spain by Small Boats.

The European Union receives one third of the world's migrant population who cross the Mediterranean Sea in small boats and arrive illegally in Europe. Irregular migrants (IMs) are persons who do not have legal permission, documentation, or refugee status and are not authorized to enter or stay in a given country. More than half a million IMs arrive in the European Union by sea creating serious public health issues in Greece, Italy, and Spain, thereby needing emergency care. The purpose of this study was to describe and understand the experiences of IMs who arrive in Spain by small boats in terms of cultural issues surrounding the provision of emergency care. A qualitative study based on Gadamer's phenomenology was used. Data were collected between 2015 and 2018 using 12 in-depth interviews of IMs. Three main themes arose: "IMs driven by a culture of emigration in countries of origin," "Facing risk in search of a better life," and "The need for cultural adaptation in emergency care." Biopsychosocial and cultural needs must be addressed when providing emergency care to IMs who arrive in Europe by small boat. Nurses can help adapt and restructure cultural practices in the emergency care provided to IMs.

Health Care Access and Physical and Behavioral Health Among Undocumented Latinos in California.

Background:This paper provides statewide estimates on health care access and utilization patterns and physical and behavioral health by citizenship and documentation status among Latinos in California.Methods:This study used data from the 2011–2015 California Health Interview Survey to examine health care access and utilization and physical and behavioral health among a representative sample of all nonelderly Latino and US-born non-Latino white adults (N=51,386). Multivariable regressions estimated the associations between the dependent measures and citizenship/documentation status among Latinos (US-born, naturalized citizen, green card holder, and undocumented).Results:Adjusted results from multivariable analyses observed worse access and utilization patterns among immigrant Latinos compared with US-born Latinos, with undocumented immigrants using significantly less health care. Undocumented Latinos had lower odds of self-reporting excellent/very good health status compared with US-born Latinos, despite them having lower odds of having several physical and behavioral health outcomes (overweight/obesity, physician-diagnosed hypertension, asthma, self-reported psychological distress, and need for behavioral health services). Among those reporting a need for behavioral health services, access was also worse for undocumented Latinos when compared with US-born Latinos.Conclusions:Patterns of poor health care access and utilization and better physical and behavioral health are observed across the continuum of documentation status, with undocumented immigrants having the worst access and utilization patterns and less disease. Despite fewer reported diagnoses and better mental health, undocumented Latinos reported poorer health status than their US-born counterparts.

Access-To-Care Differences Between Mexican-Heritage And Other Latinos In California After The Affordable Care Act.

We examined changes in health insurance coverage and access to and use of health care among adult (ages18-64) Latinos in the US before (2007-13) and after (2014-16) implementation of the main provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Data from the California Health Interview Survey were used to compare respondents in the two periods. We used multivariable and decomposition regression analyses to investigate the role of documentation status in access disparities between Mexicans and other Latinos in California. Our findings show that after the implementation of these provisions in California, insurance coverage increased for US- and foreign-born Latinos, including undocumented Latinos. Our decomposition analyses show that after implementation, disparities between Mexicans and other Latinos declined with respect to having coverage and a usual source of care. Without the implementation of these provisions in 2014, these disparities would have been 5.76percent and 0.31percent larger, respectively. In contrast, legal documentation status was positively associated with disparities between Mexicans and other Latinos in having coverage and physician visits. If Mexican Latinos had had the same share of undocumented immigrants as other Latinos, disparities in health insurance coverage would have declined by 24.17percent.

Deconstructing Immigrant Illegality: A Mixed-Methods Investigation of Stress and Health Among Undocumented College Students

Research has established that being undocumented is a risk factor for mental and physical health conditions. Much of this work emphasizes undocumented immigrants’ chronic stress, yet key questions about pathways to health remain. The mere state of being undocumented is viewed as a general stressor, without considering actual levels of stress or identifying dimensions of documentation status that contribute to overall stress levels. Drawing on surveys and interviews with undocumented students at the University of California, we uncover the everyday manifestations of four dimensions of immigrant “illegality”: academic concerns, future concerns, financial concerns, and deportation concerns, and their association with reported stress levels and self-rated health. Survey data establish undocumented students’ high levels of stress and poorer health, in comparison to previous research on other national samples. In a structural equation model, we found academic and future concerns to be significantly associated with higher stress, which was in turn, associated with poorer self-rated health. Financial concerns were not associated with higher perceived stress but were directly associated with poorer self-rated health. Notably, deportation concerns did not have any significant independent associations with stress or health. We use our qualitative data to identify specific stressors embedded within these four dimensions. Our findings inform understandings of the health risks arising from documentation status.

Participation in organized activities among Mexican and other Latino youth in Los Angeles: Variation by mother’s documentation status and youth’s age

Although organized activities promote positive youth development, Latina/os are least likely to participate among ethnic minority youth. This study tested whether an indicator of social stratification, namely mothers’ documentation status (i.e., nativity, citizenship, and legal status), explained low activity participation rates among Mexican and other Latino youth. As a secondary goal, this study tests competing hypotheses about whether the relation between documentation status and participation varied by youth age. Using Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey data, regression results indicated that Latino youth with unauthorized immigrant mothers were significantly less likely to participate in organized activities than those with native-born mothers, controlling for other variables. Post-estimation analyses indicated that participation gaps associated with mothers’ documentation status were larger for older than younger Latino youth. These findings suggest that documentation may function on a developmental continuum and that there was a developmental amplification of the effects of parents’ documentation status on youth activity participation.AQ3

Legal Immigration Status is Associated with Depressive Symptoms among Latina Transgender Women in Washington, DC.

Latina transgender women (LTW) are disproportionately vulnerable to depression, although the role of immigration/documentation status (legal authority to live/work in the U.S.) in depression has not been explored. LTW in Washington, DC were recruited into a cross-sectional study via convenience sampling. Most were Spanish-speaking Central American immigrants. Participants completed rapid HIV tests, and a Spanish-language survey assessing recent depressive symptoms (PHQ-2), sociodemographics, and factors from the minority stress framework: structural stressors (documentation status, stable housing), social stressors (discrimination, fear of deportation, violence) and coping resources (social support, resilience). Among immigrant LTW (n = 38), 24 were undocumented. Among the undocumented, the average PHQ-2 score was 2.7, and among the documented, the average PHQ-2 score was 1.4 (p < 0.05). Undocumented LTW were significantly more likely to experience employment discrimination, recent unstable housing, and fear of deportation. Bivariate and multiple linear regressions were performed to assess the relationship between documentation status and other correlates of past two week depressive symptoms. In multivariate analysis, PHQ-2 scores were inversely associated with being documented (p < 0.01), having an income above the federal poverty level, higher friends’ social support, and increased resiliency. Documentation status is an important correlate of depressive symptoms among LTW that should be considered within the context of health interventions.

Parental Documentation Status and Educational Aspirations Among Latino Adolescents: Mediating Effects of School Connectedness and Parental Attitudes Towards Education

Research suggests that Latino adolescents face challenges with respect to their perceptions of success in academia while falling behind in school competencies. This study examines pathways between parent characteristics, adolescent perceptions of parental academic importance, school connectedness, and academic aspirations/expectations for Latinos using a structural equation model. The entire population of seventh grade students was surveyed in the Oklahoma City Public School District ( N = 1,832). The final model included Latino students ( N = 661). Results found that 51.1% of all Latino adolescents identified as having an undocumented parent(s). Findings indicate that parental documentation was significantly associated with academic aspirations/expectations beyond being Latino. Parental documentation poses limitations on parents’ ability to become actively involved in their adolescents’ academics. Findings suggest efforts to increase academic aspirations/expectations should come from adolescent experiences (i.e., school connectedness) as citizenship issues are difficult to mitigate. Results should be used as support for such programs in targeting at-risk Latinos.

Initial Results of a Prospective Study and Identification of New Strategies to Increase Traceability of Plasma-derived Medicines.

Plasma medicineis an innovative and emerging field used in a broad range of medical conditions. The present study focused on consumption and documentation pattern of plasma-derived medicines in a teaching hospital. A two-step study was conducted from October to December 2015. During the first phase, the patient records receiving plasma-derived medicines including Coagulation Factor VIII, IX, Prothrombin Complex Concentrate, Factor VIII/Von Wilberand Complex, Anti-Hepatitis B Immunoglobulin, Intravenous Immunoglobulin, Anti-Tetanus Immunoglobulin, and Albumin were checked to assess recording details of these medications at the time of administration. Adverse events reported with the mentioned products were examined from traceability viewpoint. The second step concentrated on practical strategies to improve documentation status of plasma-derived medicines in the hospital. We proposed national guideline as the first strategy and a new barcoding system to track and identify drug information of plasma medicines. Of the expected drug information, only generic name, dosage from, and strength were recorded after administration. Post-marketing safety surveillance of the plasma products was poor similarly. Unavailability of suitable instructions was the main reason for documentation deficiency. A guideline was designed and implemented to inform healthcare professionals about essentials of appropriate documentation for plasma-derived medicines. Updated results of the ongoing phase will be submitted soon. Our survey highlights the importance of documentation as a key component of plasma-derived medicines surveillance within the hospitals.

Parental documentation status and academic attitudes and expectations among early adolescent latinos

Many Latino youth are U.S. citizens but live with parents whose immigration status is unauthorized. The association between parental documentation status and early adolescent academic attitudes and expectations is unclear. Using a general population sample of urban 7th grade students who self-identified as Latino in the South Central U.S. (n = 514), we examine the associations between parental documentation status and youth attitudes about the importance of graduating high school and college and expectations of the likelihood of completing high school and attending college. Findings suggest that parent documentation status is not associated with attitudes toward the importance of high school and college among Latino early adolescents, but it is significantly associated with perceptions of the likelihood of achievement. Thus, parent immigration status may be an educational barrier that needs to be addressed early for Latino youth, as efforts in high school may be too late for some students.

Migrant Workers and Their Occupational Health and Safety.

In 2015, approximately 244 million people were transnational migrants, approximately half of whom were workers, often engaged in jobs that are hazardous to their health. They work for less pay, for longer hours, and in worse conditions than do nonmigrants and are often subject to human rights violations, abuse, human trafficking, and violence. Worldwide, immigrant workers have higher rates of adverse occupational exposures and working conditions, which lead to poor health outcomes, workplace injuries, and occupational fatalities. Health disparities of immigrant workers are related to environmental and occupational exposures and are a result of language/cultural barriers, access to health care, documentation status, and the political climate of the host country. Recommendations on global and local scales are offered as potential solutions to improving the health of immigrant workers.

The Economic Effects of Providing Legal Status to Dreamers

This study quantifies the economic effects of two major immigration reforms aimed at legalizing undocumented individuals that entered the United States as children and completed high school: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and the DREAM Act. The former offers only temporary legal status to eligible individuals; the latter provides a track to legal permanent residence. Our analysis is based on a general-equilibrium model that allows for shifts in participation between work, college and non-employment. The model is calibrated to account for productivity differences across workers of different skills and documentation status, and a rich pattern of complementarities across different types of workers. We estimate DACA increased GDP by almost 0.02% (about $3.5 billion), or $7,454 per legalized worker. Passing the DREAM Act would increase GDP by around 0.08% (or $15.2 billion), which amounts to an average of $15,371 for each legalized worker. The larger effects of the DREAM Act stem from the expected larger take-up and the increased incentive to attend college among DREAMers with a high school degree. We also find substantial wage increases for individuals obtaining legal status, particularly for individuals that increase their educational attainment. Because of the small size of the DREAMer population, legalization entails negligible effects on the wages of US-born workers.

Experiences of Immigrant Women Who Applied for Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Self- Petition in the United States: Analysis of Legal Affidavits

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant human rights and public health issue. In particular, immigrant woman may face more challenges than non-immigrant woman when trying to leave an abusive partner. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in the United States (U.S.) allows spouse-sponsored immigrant women who have experienced IPV to self-petition for legal status without assistance from their abusive partner. The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of abused immigrant women and their interaction with VAWA. Seventy affidavits from the victims’ legal immigration selfpetitions were qualitatively analyzed. Results showed that women who applied for VAWA feared being in a worse position if they did leave and as such often delayed their leaving from an abusive relationship. Some women were unaware of available resources for securing safety and leaving an abusive relationship. Additionally, community resources were not always beneficial for these women. Because of the added complication surrounding their documentation status for immigrant female victims of IPV, this study suggests that more care and resources should be dedicated to this vulnerable population of women. Educational opportunities for immigrant women and community organizations are essential so immigrant women experiencing IPV can escape their harmful situation and achieve positive health outcomes.

Building Relationships within Difference: An Anarcha-Feminist Approach to the Micropolitics of Solidarity

Nuanced understandings of praxes of solidarity are critical for grassroots political activists from diverse backgrounds to be able to work together. Since the early 2000s, the primary concern of grassroots political activism in Tucson has been migrant justice and opposition to the militarization of the U.S.–Mexico border. In the aftermath of Arizona's notorious 2010 racial profiling legislation, SB 1070, The Protection Network Action Fund (ProNet) was founded as a collaboration between migrant activist members of The Protection Networks and their allies, with the expressed goal of fundraising to support migrant-led activism in Tucson. ProNet's strategy is rooted in long-term relationship building between migrant activists and predominantly white allies and a commitment to address micropolitical challenges within Tucson, where white-led humanitarian aid groups often remain unaware of activism in Spanish-speaking Chican@ and Latin@ communities. This article examines ProNet as an example of anarcha-feminist solidarity work rooted in a praxis of autonomous horizontal organizing that also takes deliberate steps to negotiate the differences in embodied social privilege that accompany race, class, gender, language, and documentation status.

Equal Justice

Empirical analysis of the disproportionate application of carceral punishment has traditionally targeted race and class inequality while omitting noncitizens as a systematically disadvantaged population within the criminal justice system. Of the limited extant literature on this issue, nearly all have examined overall incarceration odds while failing to account for prison alternative eligibility, inaccurately measuring judicial discretion. Likewise, none have disaggregated noncitizens across nationality, an oversight that implicitly assuming that all noncitizens are equal recipients of discrimination, likely suppressing noncitizen disadvantage. Finally, these studies often fail to include contextual measures in their analyses. Using data from the U.S. Sentencing Commission (USSC)’s Monitoring of Federal Sentences from 1999 to 2013, this study examines case-, district-, and cross-level effects of citizenship status, documentation status, and nationality on incarceration odds, prison alternatives, and sentence length for federal drug offenders. The results of this study support the hypothesis that noncitizens receive more severe sentencing outcomes than U.S. citizens, Mexican noncitizens receive more severe outcomes compared to those from other countries, and undocumented noncitizens receive more punitive outcomes, though these findings vary across districts. However, counter to minority threat theory, noncitizen (offender) populations do not appear to influence incarceration outcomes for noncitizen offenders in the projected direction.

No te dejes pisotear por nadien: Examining Latino Immigrants' Efforts to Resist Discrimination

ABSTRACTLatino immigrants in the United States face a hostile climate, including policies that reinforce community-level prejudices and acts of discrimination. Discrimination has an impact on the well-being of individuals who are targeted. The purpose of this study was to learn from Latino immigrant parents about responses to incidents with discrimination, including the process by which they determine how to respond. Fifty-four Latino immigrants participated in in-depth interviews. Using constructivist grounded theory methods, a model was developed to reflect participants' responses to discrimination. Findings indicate Latino immigrants' responses to discrimination evolve in a consciousness-raising process, including five phases of awareness: recognizes discrimination; questions discrimination; engages in reflection/dialogue on issues of race and discrimination; acknowledges value in self; and takes action. Moving through these phases, participants are more critically reflective on personal experiences and larger environmental contexts. Participants also engage in assessment of risks and opportunities when deciding how to respond to discrimination. Documentation status, English proficiency, and knowledge of systems of care affected their ability/decision to advocate. This study offers guidance for social service providers to support and collaborate with immigrants to increase their capacity to advocate. Findings suggest that future research is needed to explore the connection between phases of response and well-being.

A STUDY ON POTENTIAL DRUG - DRUG INTERACTIONS IN MEDICINE DEPARTMENT OF A MULTI SPECIALTY TEACHING HOSPITAL

Aim of study: Drug-drug interaction (DDI) occurs when two or more drugs are simultaneously administered, where the effect of one drug is altered by the concomitant use of another drug. The prospective observational study aimed to assess the potential drug-drug interactions (pDDIs) in general medicine department of a multispecialty teaching hospital. Material & Methods: Data of all the patients admitted in the general medicine department was collected and analyzed for drug-drug interactions by using drug information resources such as “Thomson Reuters MICROMEDEX® 2.0 DRUGDEX and drugs.com. Results: A total of 150 case records were reviewed, 116 (77.33%) cases were identified with 273 potential drug- drug interactions during the study period. It was observed that out of the 273 DDIs identified, majority 68.13% of the interactions were moderate in severity followed by 19.78% were minor and 12.08% were major. The categorization of onset of drug –drug interactions revealed that 53.47% were categorized as ‘not specified’ and the documentation status of drug – drug interactions showed that 56.77% were ‘fair’ in nature. Conclusion: The study highlights the need of regular monitoring of drug therapy in identifying and preventing the medications that have the potential to cause drug-drug interactions thereby minimizing the undesirable outcomes in drug therapy and improving the quality of care.

Dreaming Forward: Latino Voices Enhance the Mosaic by Martha E. Casazza (review)

Reviewed by: Dreaming Forward: Latino Voices Enhance the Mosaic by Martha E. Casazza Danizete Martínez Martha E. Casazza. Dreaming Forward: Latino Voices Enhance the Mosaic. Bloomington: iUniverse, 2015. 242p. In light of President Trump’s rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, Martha E. Casazza’s Dreaming Forward is a timely collection of interviews and reflections underscoring the need to better understand how our nation succeeds, or fails to succeed, in serving our Latino community. While Casazza dedicates a number of chapters to immigrant students’ struggles and concerns about their uncertain documentation status, the book as a whole is a mosaic of stories that demonstrates how the achievements and disappointments of these individuals’ dreams impact the larger Latino population. In order for impactful legislation to benefit Latinos living in the United States, Casazza applies the metaphor of the mosaic to illustrate how an understanding of history, family and community, safety, and access to education is essential. She explains: “Mosaic images have a long history in Mexico of telling stories and advocating for political causes. These images are rarely completed by one artist and are often under construction…as public art on the walls and rooftops in Mexican communities. We could say that each of the common elements in this collection of stories represents one piece of the larger mosaic” (ix). [End Page 216] The collection includes a variety of Latino perspectives, mainly Mexican Americans of varying ages, education levels, family histories, and legal status living in the Midwest. A range of high school and university students, parents, teachers, administrators, community organizers and community school liaisons, police officers, administrative assistants at community medical centers, directors of wellness centers, and business owners describe their personal journeys. Both the style of the narratives and the settings where the interviews took place help to contextualize the stories and offer an authenticity of voice and place. Students share their shame of not succeeding at school because of their struggles with learning English, their experiences with unsupportive teachers and parents, and the realization that they are not on equal footing with other students when starting college because of these past experiences. They also share their pride in excelling in their education because of committed instructors, self-determination, and family and community support. Many narratives focus on parents’ hopes for better futures for their children, the challenges of retaining Spanish fluency, concerns about gang violence, and the setbacks of teenage pregnancies. Many speak of their experiences with educational policy reform by advocating for restorative justice, building up cultural and ethnic pride directly through the curriculum, and they describe the benefits of Head Start, bilingual, and college dual-credit programs, as well as the value of community and city colleges. All stories reveal the pluralism of being Latino in the U.S. Invoking the crux of Anzaldúa’s Borderlands, one speaker notes: “I think being part of the three worlds as well has enabled me to fit in lots of places. I say “three worlds” because it’s the Mexican world; and it’s this place somewhere in between for a lot of us who are born here with Mexican parents. Even though I’m second generation, I feel like I’m first generation because I grew up with my mom” (73). Some of the more salient narratives include those by undocumented students who worry about how their status could impact their future; many of them have not been back to the countries they were born in since they were children, and they no longer speak Spanish. The narratives by those dedicated to working in coalitions for social justice to improve their communities, even though many of their family members and childhood neighbors have moved out, speak to the overall resilience and determination fundamental to Dreaming Forward. Casazza concludes by suggesting three more elements that would complete the mosaic: meaningful school reform, immigration reform, and the development of sustainable partnerships between cultural and educational institutions and community organizations. By proposing that schools [End Page 217] collaborate with communities to house health clinics, offer English language classes for parents, provide after-school programs, and serve as employment centers, parents and children will “think of the...