Immigrant Communities Research Articles

Registration of four pest‐resistant long bean germplasm lines

AbstractLong bean (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis, asparagus bean, Asian yardlong bean), the vegetable type of cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp], is a climate‐resilient and nutritious food legume grown by Southeast Asian farmers in the Central Valley of California and marketed to Asian immigrant communities across the United States. Insect pests are major threats, reducing yield and quality of all current lines. Modern plant breeding protocols and extension activities were implemented to develop resistant lines using sources of natural resistance found in African cowpea germplasm. Three aphid‐resistant long bean lines, Dark Green 1994 (Reg no. GP‐320, PI 702995), Light Green 2055 (Reg. no. GP‐321, PI 702996), and Purple 2056 (Reg. no. GP‐322, PI 702997), were developed by introgression of two known quantitative trait loci (QTL) for aphid resistance into three local elite lines through marker‐assisted backcrossing (MABC). One bush‐type long bean line, Bush 2074 (Reg. no. GP‐319, PI 702994), carrying two known QTL for root‐knot nematode resistance, was also developed to enable scaling up production and to improve nematode management in large‐scale commercial farming. These improved lines were evaluated in controlled experiments which also served in outreach activities to enable adoption. Each of these advanced lines, when forming a near‐isogenic pair with its recurrent parent, can provide useful genetic materials for resistance gene discovery.

The Community Health Response Team: a culturally and linguistically tailored community response to COVID-19 addressing barriers to testing and vaccinations for refugee, immigrant and migrant communities in Atlanta, Georgia.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Atlanta and Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE) established a Community Health Response Team in May 2020. The team members represented refugee, immigrant and migrant populations and had expertise in health care and public health. These 18 individuals were recruited from IRC Atlanta's Career Development program, had a variety of backgrounds and spoke 20 languages. They implemented a community-centered COVID-response intervention model of pairing education and outreach efforts with testing and vaccination clinics. Due to their team makeup, the Community Health Response Team conducted tailored outreach and education that was culturally and linguistically congruent with their target communities. They administered over 16,000 COVID-19 tests at mobile community sites within the first 6 months. Once COVID-19 vaccinations were available, the Community Health Response Team coordinated a total of 834 vaccination events in communities with a high number of refugees and in partnership with refugee- and immigrant-trusted community-based organizations, resulting in 31,888 vaccinations. Hiring staff from refugee, immigrant and migrant populations created a sustainable staffing model. Also, embedding culturally specific strategies in their model of pairing education and outreach led to long-term relationships and greater trust with community members. This approach of engaging and empowering community members to create tailored public health responses should serve as guidance for future public health campaigns.

Im/migrant Well-Being Part II: Race, Ethnicity, and Legal Challenges to Incorporation and Well-Being

In this introduction to the second issue of a two-part series on Im/migrant Well-being, we discuss examples of how race, ethnicity, and a patchwork of current and proposed state and federal laws contribute to the exclusion of and discrimination of immigrants, hindering their incorporation and having harmful effects on their well-being. Articles discussed in this introduction zoom in into these issues by analyzing in detail how the well-being of immigrants in the United States is threatened by current U.S. immigration laws and policies: from the racial construction of the invasive “100-mile border enforcement zone” to the precarious legal statuses of unaccompanied migrant children, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients, and farmworkers. Together, these empirical studies produce robust evidence demonstrating how the racialization and liminal legality of im/migrant communities in the United States adversely affect their belonging, incorporation, and overall well-being. In line with the findings from these articles, and in the absence of federal action on immigration reform in the horizon, the opening commentary following this introduction highlights how immigrant communities and scholars have the power to perform critical acts of brokerage to prevent harm and promote collective well-being by sharing resources and produce collaborative research that contributes toward evidence-informed policymaking.

Intersection between Autism, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and Immigration: A Scoping Review

Introduction: in recent years, the number of studies investigating a potential connection between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and migration has increased. This article presents a scoping review of the relationship between ASD and migration, focusing on cultural, ethnic factors, and migratory experiences. Method: a scoping review method was employed, analyzing articles in categories such as cultural influences, barriers, diagnosis, early intervention, parent perspectives, and autism-associated stigma. Results: the importance of addressing the interaction of cultural, systemic, and individual factors to enhance support and outcomes in individuals and families diagnosed with ASD in immigrant communities is emphasized. Conclusion: evidence suggests the existence of common barriers in neurodevelopmental disorders and ASD in migrant populations, including structural, socioeconomic, social, and cultural factors such as lack of medical insurance, service fragmentation, inadequate social support, and a lack of culturally appropriate resources.

ACS updates immigration policy statement, adds environmental and community health

ACS updates immigration policy statement, adds environmental and community health

“The spirit of a fighter”: Mixed‐status Latine immigrant families' experiences during COVID

AbstractObjectiveUsing a community‐based participatory research (CBPR) approach, this study documents Latine immigrant families' work, childcare, and education experiences during the COVID‐19 pandemic to inform policy and practice to support Latine families.BackgroundLatine immigrant communities, comprising undocumented and mixed‐status families, were among the hardest hit by the COVID‐19 pandemic. In addition to employment and housing challenges, children and families lost access to the important academic supports and social services built into childcare programs and schools.MethodFor this study, we collected in‐depth qualitative interview data from mothers who were immigrants from Central America and Mexico (N = 23) as part of an ongoing CBPR project. Using community coding techniques, data were analyzed in partnership with our Community Advisory Board, Amigas de la Comunidad.ResultsIn the context of illegality, participants and their families who already feared deportation and family separation, faced added burdens during the pandemic including job loss, school and childcare closures, and isolation. Parents worried about meeting their families' basic needs, getting sick, losing loved ones to COVID‐19, and being evicted from their housing.ConclusionWhile participants shared stories of resilience and resistance, they also reflected on stories loss and hardship—experiences that were exacerbated by anti‐immigrant laws and policies that made navigating the pandemic especially punishing for immigrant families.ImplicationsOn the basis of study findings, program and policy implications for serving Latine children and youth and their immigrant parents, especially those with mixed documentation status, are discussed.

Luchando Junt@s Por Una Familia Unida (Fighting Together for a United Family): Rebuilding the Cohesive Self of Immigrant Parents and Community Healing after a Family Separation in the United States – A Self Psychology Perspective

AbstractThe Zero Tolerance policy implemented by the Trump administration resulted in the separation of thousands of Central American families seeking asylum at the U.S. Southern border. This policy has had a devastating impact on the mental health of parents and their children. While most of the literature on forced immigration family separation, and reunification focuses on children’s traumatic responses, it is essential to expand the literature to include the impact on parents, who can help mitigate the negative consequences of adverse events and traumatic stress on their children. When parents are not provided with adequate culturally sensitive healing interventions, their distress, and emotional needs may affect their ability to effectively support their children. Using a self psychology lens, this theoretical article sheds light on the psychological experiences of Central American parents who endured forced family separation. It also contributes knowledge to self psychology theory and its integration into group work with Central Americans. This article draws from the literature, my clinical experience with immigrants and refugees, and my work with Central American asylum-seeking families impacted by the “zero tolerance” immigration policy to argue that self psychology provides a lens for understanding the impact of the government’s empathic failure on parents upon entering the United States that led to a blow to parents’ cohesive self. Parents’ cohesive self can be restored with sufficient collective twinship, mirroring, and idealizing experiences, which in self-psychology are paramount psychological needs to be met for building and maintaining a strong self.

“Do the right thing”: Immigrant perspectives of social worker support in the United States

AbstractSocial workers play a distinctive role in serving all communities, especially immigrants. Heightened immigrant stress and deteriorating well‐being have been reported amid recent anti‐immigrant socio‐political climate. Given the unique challenges of immigrants, they have distinct needs. In our study, we utilize data from a larger study including a sample of first‐ and second‐generation immigrants, to understand “How can social workers support immigrant communities?” In total, N = 265 participants responded to this prompt. We employed a content analysis approach to analyze participant responses. Our analysis yielded four main themes: (1) Resources for immigrants, (2) Doing right by immigrants, (3) Advocacy, and (4) Understanding immigrants. Our findings are timely in highlighting the diverse perspectives about immigrant needs in the current socio‐political climate. Study findings have implications for social workers as well as service providers/agencies that engage with immigrants.

Balancing Acts: Exploring the Intersection of Cultural Understanding and Technical Support in Local Government Strategies for Immigrant Micro-Financing

This paper explores the relationship between cultural competency training for local government employees and technical support for micro-financing programs targeting immigrants. Utilizing a combination of literature review, theoretical framework, hypothesis testing, data analysis, and interpretation, the study examines the complexities surrounding the public sector's approach to immigrant support. The research reveals a general preference for cultural competency initiatives over technical support for micro-financing among local government employees. Statistical analysis indicates a significant, albeit complex, association between attitudes towards cultural competency training and support for technical assistance in micro-financing. A multinomial logistic regression suggests a negative relationship between support for cultural competency training and the likelihood of supporting micro-financing programs, highlighting a potential disconnect between cultural understanding and financial support for immigrants. The study discusses the implications of these findings for policy-making, program design, and future research, emphasizing the need for a balanced approach that integrates cultural sensitivity with economic support. The limitations of the study, including sample representation and the challenge of establishing causation, are acknowledged, underlining the necessity for cautious interpretation of the results and further research in this area. The paper concludes by highlighting the importance of considering both the cultural and economic needs of immigrant communities in public administration and support programs.

Doing Community and Institutionally Engaged Work and Promoting Immigrant Well-being While Building a Research Career

This article offers reflections on doing community and publicly engaged research and scholarly work that promotes immigrant well-being while developing a research career in academic institutions which do not usually recognize or reward such work. I draw on my own career (as the editors asked me to do), and hope the advice or examples are helpful, especially to younger scholars. I write as a scholar who was not from the immigrant communities with which he worked, and who believes scholars should help create a society that respects the rights, dignity, and well-being of its members, especially immigrant families. I applaud the Im/migrant Well-being Scholar Collaborative initiative’s (IWSC or Collaborative) focus on immigrant well-being, which affirms not only work that seeks to make structural or policy change or to change debates (common foci of academic analysis), but also work that directly helps others, builds community capacity, or mentors broadly. I have tried to both promote well-being and to fight injustice and inequality.

Using the Structural Influence Model to Explore U.S. Latina/O/X/E Undocumented Immigrants’ COVID-19 Information Acquisition, Perceptions, and Prevention Behaviors

ABSTRACT In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. undocumented immigrants were at heightened risk of contracting COVID-19, with many of them being “frontline essential workers” and residing in crowded living spaces. Given undocumented immigrants’ elevated susceptibility to contracting COVID-19 at the peak of uncertainty surrounding the virus, we used the structural influence model of communication to explore: (1) how undocumented immigrants acquired information about COVID-19; (2) how they assessed information trustworthiness and accuracy; (3) their perceptions of COVID-19; and (4) how they prevented or managed COVID-19. Drawing from semi-structured interviews with 46 Latina/o/x/e undocumented immigrants residing in California, we found four key themes: (1) (dis)trust in traditional media as participants relied heavily on social media for COVID-19 information; (2) weak and strong ties played a crucial role in co-constructing health outcomes with different levels of organization; (3) learning about COVID-19 through (in)direct experiences; and (4) coping through health literacy and cultural beliefs. The study’s findings can inform future efforts to reach highly-vulnerable immigrant communities during a crisis (or different outbreaks in COVID-19 variants), and hopefully, help reduce health inequities.

Daily and ethnic discriminatory experiences and cognitive control in Mexican-origin bilingual language brokers

ABSTRACT Few studies have considered bilingualism’s impact on cognitive development within the sociolinguistic and cultural context of the immigrant communities where bilingualism is commonly practiced. In the United States, many Mexican-origin bilingual youth practice their bilingual skills by brokering (i.e. translating/interpreting between languages) for their immigrant parents who have low English proficiency. Meanwhile, these youth may also experience discrimination in their daily life. The present study focuses on Mexican-origin bilingual youth brokers (N = 334) in order to examine how discriminatory experiences (i.e. daily and ethnic discrimination) and bilingual brokering experiences captured by profiles are related to cognitive control performance (i.e. attentional control and inhibition). We found no significant direct influence of either bilingual broker profiles or discriminatory experiences on cognitive control. However, the associations between discriminatory experiences and cognitive control performance depended upon brokering experiences. Specifically, greater discrimination was associated with lower cognitive control performance among moderate brokers (with moderate bilingual experiences), but the association was attenuated among efficacious brokers (with positive bilingual experiences). Findings highlight the need to consider the sociolinguistic heterogeneity of both discriminatory experiences and language use when investigating cognitive control performance in bilinguals.

Healthy immigrant community study protocol: A randomized controlled trial of a social network intervention for cardiovascular risk reduction among Hispanic and Somali adults

BackgroundImmigrants to the United States face structural barriers that contribute to rising cardiovascular risk factors and obesity after immigration. This manuscript describes the development of the Healthy Immigrant Community protocol and baseline measures for a stepped wedge cluster randomized trial to test the effectiveness of a social network intervention for cardiovascular risk reduction among two immigrant populations. MethodsWe developed a social network-informed, community-based, participatory research-derived health promotion intervention with Hispanic and Somali immigrant communities in Minnesota consisting of mentoring, educational and motivational sessions, group activities, and a community toolkit for healthy weight loss delivered by culturally concordant health promoters (HPs) to their social networks. Using a stepped wedge cluster randomized design, social network-based groups were randomly assigned to receive the intervention either immediately or after a delay of one year. Outcomes, measured at baseline, 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months, were derived from the American Heart Association's “Life's Simple 7”: BMI and waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, physical activity level, and dietary quality. ResultsA total of 51 HPs were enrolled and randomized (29 Hispanic; 22 Somali). There were 475 participants enrolled in the study, representing a mean social network group size of 8 (range, 5–12). The mean BMI of the sample (32.2) was in the “obese” range. ConclusionProcesses and products from this Healthy Immigrant Community protocol are relevant to other communities seeking to reduce cardiovascular risk factors and negative health behaviors among immigrant populations by leveraging the influence of their social networks.

Reducing the impact of COVID-19 in immigrants: a systematic review of the efficacy of interventions

the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in the population has amplified the effects of health inequalities, particularly in the most vulnerable groups such as immigrants and refugees. An assessment of the intervention to contain the COVID-19 in these population groups was essential to define new strategies for more equitable, inclusive, and effective health policies to on health. to provide a systematic synopsis of the impact of interventions to contain the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in immigrants. data sources included major bibliographic databases. Using a study protocol, already shared with the international scientific community, two independent researchers reviewed the citations, selected and evaluated the interventions studies. Due to the heterogeneity of the interventions, a narrative synthesis was carried out. three eligible studies were identified. The first study modelled the incidence of the disease in a refugee camp in Greece, based on an intervention of sectorialization of people that accessed to services, the use of masks, the early identification and isolation of cases and their family members, and the limitation of movements within the camp. The second evaluated the impact of preventive pharmacological interventions such as the use of hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, povidone-iodine, zinc, and vitamin C, in different dosages and combinations, to a group of immigrant workers in a city dormitory in Singapore. The third study evaluated an intervention to increase vaccination coverage within a Latino immigrant community in the United States, moving the location of vaccine supply throughout the most frequented contexts by the immigrant community to access the city services. The results of the first and second studies suggest impacts for some of the proposed interventions even if they have been partially overcome due to the use of mass vaccination. The third showed a reduction in vaccine hesitancy and an increase in vaccination uptake and a snowball effect. the systematic review identified few heterogeneous studies, preventing any generalization of the results. Probably, the low scientific production does not reflect the successful experiences implemented. In the case of a possible resumption of the epidemic or new emergencies, it will be necessary to rely on indirect evidence and the scientific community should consider more the responsibility to evaluate and make available the experiences gained in the field. A constant monitoring activity of the evidence that will be necessary to updating the results for suggest consolidated prevention measures to for controlling the incidence of COVID-19 in immigrants during a possible resumption of the epidemic and for application in other similarly emergency contexts.

Language brokering profiles of Mexican-origin adolescents in immigrant communities: Social-cultural contributors and developmental outcomes.

This study examines social-cultural contributors and developmental outcomes of language brokers. From 2012 to 2020, three waves of data were collected from 604 Mexican-origin adolescent language brokers (Mage = 12.92, SD = 0.92, 54% girls). The study (1) identified four distinct subgroups of language brokers (efficacious, conservative, nonchalant, and burdened) who translated for mothers and fathers, after incorporating objective bilingual proficiency along with multiple dimensions of language brokering; (2) showed that early adolescents' Mexican, rather than U.S., cultural values and orientation were related to later language brokering profiles; and (3) showed that the efficacious group was the most resilient while burdened was the most vulnerable to developmental problems. Preservation of Mexican culture may facilitate language brokering experiences related to more positive developmental outcomes.

Conducting Community-Based Research in An African Immigrant Population: Lessons Learned

Background Although small, the African immigrant population is one of the fastest growing immigrant populations in the United States. Emerging research indicates a high prevalence of noncommunicable preventable chronic conditions in this population. Like other African Americans, African immigrants are mistrustful of the health care system, hampering efforts for prevention and intervention research. Purpose To describe our experiences conducting 2 studies in an African immigrant community, discuss the lessons learned, and provide advice to researchers interested in conducting research in similar populations. Design The 2 published studies for which we derive lessons learned for this paper were a cross-sectional study and a qualitative study using focus group interviews. Participants included Zimbabwean immigrants in the Eastern United States recruited at religious festivals and community events. The 2 studies enrolled a total of 135 participants. Results Of our recruitment goal of 120 in the first study, we enrolled only 98 despite numerous efforts. However, after strategically partnering with a community advisory board (CAB), in the second study, we met our recruitment goal within 4 months. With the CAB, we recruited a larger proportion of men (38% versus 24%). Without the CAB, 350 individuals agreed to participate, but only 98 (28%) returned the questionnaire, whereas with the CAB, 40 agreed to participate, and 37 (93%) successfully completed the study. Conclusion Conducting health-related research in immigrants requires strategic partnerships with the community to build strong relationships between the research team and the target community. By nurturing these relationships, research teams can effectively access this hard-to-reach population and achieve high participation.

Kontinuitas tradisi breast ironing dalam komunitas imigran Kamerun di Inggris

The practice of breast ironing is one of many traditions in the world whose practice is based on the mindset that women's sexuality is something that must be controlled. This paper is intended to answer the question that is central to the author's research, namely: "Why do African immigrant communities in the UK continue the tradition of breast ironing when it is so risky?" To understand the context underlying the beliefs and practices of African immigrant women in the UK, the author adopts the ideas of Black African Feminism (BAF) by A La Awa Thiam. BAF argues that the history of colonialism has influenced the reinforcement of patriarchal ideologies and gender dynamics in Africa. BAF seeks to raise issues related to family life such as domestic violence, FGM, early marriage, polygamy, women's reproductive rights, women's inheritance rights, and HIV/AIDS. The continuity of the breast ironing tradition in the Cameroonian immigrant community in the UK is influenced by the socio-cultural context embedded in the community and the unsuccessful cultural adaptation that occurs between the minority community (Cameroonian immigrants) and the dominant community (local community). The efforts that can be made to stop this tradition are to build awareness within the community itself, in this case, the role of civil society organizations and NGOs is crucial.

SISTEM INFORMASI GEOGRAFIS PEMETAAN PENYEBARAN PERTASHOP DI WILAYAH KABUPATEN PIDIE BERBASIS WEBGIS

Pertashop is a small distribution agent that serves consumers at the village level far from gas stations. In addition to the General Fuel Filling Station (SPBU), PT Pertamina (Persero) also operates a Pertamina Shop (Pertashop) for purchasing fuel oil (BBM). Pertashop was created to reach areas that are considered far from gas stations. The product being sold is the Pertamax type of fuel, then there is LPG, namely Bright Gas. Pertashop is a sort of channeling institution at the village level. This expands people's access to energy. This means that people who live far from gas stations can use the pertashop that is present at the village level. The problem is that not all of the people, especially immigrants, know the location of the Pertashop location when the situation is urgent, especially the immigrant community. The presence of Pertashop competes with gas stations. The existence of this pertashop is to bring BBM services closer on a small scale to the community, especially those in remote villages or in the interior of the mountains. Besides that, Pertashop is the best choice when the vehicle runs out of fuel. Therefore, based on the problems above, the researcher wishes to overcome these problems in the form of a final project with the title "Geographical Information System for Mapping the Distribution of Pertashop in the Pidie District Based on WebGIS". Hopefully with this system it can help make it easier for the community to find out the location of Pertashop in Pidie Regency.

'Getting control of Corona takes many angles': COVID-19 vaccine knowledge, attitudes and beliefs among refugee/immigrant/migrant communities in four US cities.

The objectives of the study were to (i) document refugee, immigrant and migrant (RIM) communities' knowledge, attitudes and beliefs (KABs) related to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine and (ii) identify best practices for developing and disseminating culturally and linguistically responsive health messaging addressing those KABs. Thirteen online focus groups (OFGs) in 10 languages were conducted. Each OFG was conducted in the participants' native language. OFGs were recorded, transcribed, translated and uploaded to qualitative software for coding. A thematic analysis was conducted. Results suggest that while there was some variation between different language groups (e.g. whether religious leaders were seen as trusted sources of information about COVID), there were also important commonalities. Most language groups (i) alluded to hearing about or having gaps in knowledge about COVID-19/the COVID-19 vaccine, (ii) reported hearing negative or conflicting stories about the vaccine and (iii) shared concerns about the negative side effects of the vaccine. There continues to be a need for health messaging in RIM communities that is culturally and linguistically concordant and follows health literacy guidelines. Message content about the COVID-19 vaccine should focus on vaccine importance, effectiveness and safety, should be multimodal and should be primarily delivered by healthcare professionals and community members who have already been vaccinated.

The Carceral Geographies of Platform Delivery Work: Essential Workers and Bike Registrations in New York City

AbstractThe critical platform studies literature is increasingly considering the role of social difference as a structuring logic in the platform economy, complementing understandings of worker precarity facilitated by worker misclassification and algorithmic management. Contributing to this literature, this paper demonstrates how platforms and police produce carceral geographies that manage and exploit immigrant delivery workers as surplus populations. The carceral geographies of the platform economy account for both how carceral space produces and manages the surplus populations from which platform capital draws its workers, facilitating the disposability and exploitation of workers. Focusing on South Asian delivery workers in New York City, the paper uses the example of bike registrations to show how police and platforms expand carceral spaces in immigrant communities, increasing their vulnerability to premature death and violence. Finally, it suggests how delivery worker organising offers instances of situated resistance that challenge platform capital and carceral logics.