Child Welfare
Record numbers of unaccompanied minors have crossed the border since 2021. In 2022, the U.S. The Department of Health and Human Services received an even higher record of unaccompanied minors. What was the record number of children traveling alone to the U.S. border and where did they come from?
There were 128,904 unaccompanied minors, the vast majority coming from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.
What percentage of undocumented latinx individuals reported being uninsured
46%
Noncitizens who do not utilize SNAP were 1.32 times more likely to report FI than U.S.-born citizens who did not utilize SNAP (Sharareh et al.). What factors may influence Latinx noncitizens not to utilize federally funded benefit programs.
Myths, lack of information regarding ineligibily, fear of deportation and language barriers (Sharareh et al.).
How does undocumented status primarily prevent Access to Higher Education?
Due to the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA), a lack of documentation leads to an inaccessibility to receive federal financial aid and many scholarships that ultimately prevent many undocumented individuals from receiving higher education due to a lack of funds.
The average household for undocumented people is – adults, and — children
3 adults and 2 children
There are about 18 million Hispanic children living in the United States, what percentage of these children have at least one parent who is an unauthorized immigrant?
25% to 28% of all Latino children in the United States have an unauthorized immigrant parent. Children with unauthorized immigrant parents are disproportionately poor and often have incomes that fall at or near poverty.
Why are undocumented immigrants less likely to see licensed medical professionals than other U.S citizens?
Strictly out of fear for the possible consequences, especially as it relates to their documentation status and how that could be affected. Many fear that relaying their personal information to the hospital would expose them or put them at risk for deportation. Along with this, many undocumented immigrants work jobs where along with a low wage, their benefits are kept to a minimum if not non existent, so any possible health coverage provided by employment is simply not possible.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture website regarding food and nutrition services, what two waiting periods exist for Non-citizens?
No waiting and waiting period. The website provides different limitations and restrictions to who is eligible for SNAP (SNAP policy on non-citizen eligibility).
How many states allow ALL undocumented students to receive in-state tuition and state-based financial aid? Try to name at least one state other than Washington.
18 States and the District of Columbia allow undocumented students to receive in-state tuition and state-based financial aid.
Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Minnesota, Illinois, Virginia, Maryland, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Hawai’i, District of Columbia
When looking for housing undocumented Latinx people often have a stronger feeling compared to other groups in the US. This might be a result of how Latinx View family and their feelings of safety and security within their own family or a family friend.
Family Orientation
What happens to undocumented Latino children as they transition to adulthood?
At the age of 18, undocumented children leave the shelter of a protective legal environment and lose access to the social services they were once granted. This is in addition to alienation from both American society and the Latinx community.
How many and which states provide healthcare coverage regardless of immigration status?
As of 2024, there are six states that provide income based healthcare coverage regardless of immigration status. These states include Washington, Oregon, New York, Illinois, Colorado, and California.
What are USDA food security statistics of based on? Household, individual, etc
Their statistics are based on the household, making it difficult to gain accurate statistical information on Latinx noncitizen immigrants
There are 6 States (Arizona, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, and Florida) that allow for undocumented students to receive in-state tuition but do not allow for state-based financial aid. Why would the prohibition of receiving state-based aid continue to limit access to higher education for undocumented students?
Allowing in-state tuition but not state-based financial aid makes access to higher education difficult as many undocumented students do not have the funds to pay the expenses of university out of pocket due to the economic limitations that they face. Additionally, this lessens the options for universities that students can choose to apply and go to.
This is the primary reason why undocumented people avoid interactions with banks, mortgages, and other financial institutions that assist with acquiring a home even if no documentation is necessary, and is also the primary reason many undocumented people do not have a bank account too
Fear of deportation
fear of interactions that can lead to deportation or questioning.
falsified documentation
restricted access to knowledge or help
Children with undocumented family members experience a variety of things, both physically and mentally, what are a few of them?
The stress/worries of deportation can disrupt a child’s performance in school and ability to concentrate, negatively impacting their learning. If this stress begins early in life, typical brain, cognitive, and educational development may be disrupted, bringing the risk of development disorders.
Latino children in particular, find themselves worrying about deportation and family separation even if they do not belong to a legally vulnerable family.
What factors contribute to the disparity in mental health between documented and undocumented members in the latinx community?
Chronic Stress and Anxiety can build up due to constant fear of deportation
Anxiety due to economic hardship (lack of social ladder makes this harder to escape)
Lack of healthcare access reduces their ability to combat any signs of mental illness which can be caused by the reasons listed above.
Hispanic households had 77.8 percent food security throughout 2014 in the U.S. (Rabbitt et al.).
What in the years 2011-2014 affected food security?
The unemployment crisis. Food insecurity increased among Hispanic households while compared to U.S. households which changed little (Rabbitt et al.).
How might undocumented students and their perceptions of higher education be affected by their families who are also typically undocumented and serve as role models?
Undocumented status leads to a decline in motivation to continue education due to a lack of family role models for educational and professional success. Students lower their aspirations, goals, and ideas, no matter how intelligent one might be, overall leaving an impression that succeeding and accessing higher education is unachievable.
Due to this many undocumented Latinx people have to settle in substandard and often bad-quality neighborhoods due to their status. Landlords frequently know this and use it to their advantage and follow along with current racial segregationally trends in housing for undocumented people. This is a many reasons why many undocumented Latinx find it easier to reside with family members no matter how distant and how unsustainable living conditions can be with an already large households
Exploitation, fear-mongering, exorbitant fees, and racialization/ segregation of neighborhoods
Parents, regardless of their immigration status, detention, or deportation, have a constitutional right to custody of their children. However, immigration enforcement can negatively impact parental rights and a child’s well-being, as a result what happens to a child whose parent is in detention or deported?
Lack of communication has led to prolonged family separation or even with the terminiation of parental rights. Children may end up in the child welfare system. This can be in an emergency shelter, group home, or with a relative, friend, or stranger in a foster home until the situation is resolved.
What are some possible solutions to fixing the healthcare disparity within the undocumented latinx community?
-Policy reform, specifically tied in with implementations to include a form of translation to the public, in order to ensure the message is clear, especially for those who are being affected by the change.
- Raise awareness regarding emergency care and income based healthcare options, as many fear that they’ll ask for documentation, yet this is not the case in specific scenarios/states
What are the limitations of federal programs to Latinx immigrant families once they access food security?
Nutritious food habits and a variety of food options are limited by federal programs for non-citizen families, which can also be said the same for citizen families (Munger et al.)
What might Low-income Latinx immigrant students in America’s urban communities experience that would largely prohibit their access to higher education?
Low-income Latinx immigrants may be subjected to subpar education, and low-quality schools usually have a detrimental impact on their educational experiences. Their lack of access to appropriate and equitable preparation can lead to poor academic performance and low college enrollment rates.
During the trump administration, President Trump implemented an executive order aimed at combating housing shortages around the country and strengthening welfare programs while emphasizing that no undocumented “aliens” would receive welfare. This order had several issues in itself but when it came to housing for undocumented people, almost no effect happened, lack of housing is a prevailing problem for undocumented specifically Latinx people, what is a possible solution or option that states have tried to fight for, states like California?
The sovereignty of States and local governments, states/cities are allowed to become sanctuary cities and provide their policy that does not disclose undocumented status when it comes to welfare and housing.