Luchamos Por Nuestros Hijos: Latino Immigrant Parents Strive to Protect Latino Youth from the Deleterious Effects of Anti-Immigration Policies

Purpose:  Numerous anti-immigration laws and policies enacted by the Arizona legislature negatively impact Latino immigrant families.  Consequently, Latino children in immigrant families encounter increased economic insecurity, barriers to education, poor health outcomes, arrest and deportation of family members, and discrimination (Androff et al., 2011).  While evidence suggests Latino families possess strengths and utilize a number of resources to overcome challenges (Ayón & Quiroz, 2013), research has yet to focus on the efforts of Latino immigrant parents to mitigate the impact of anti-immigrant legislation on their children. The purpose of this study is to examine the methods by which Latino immigrant parents protect their children from the deleterious effects of anti-immigration policies.

Methods: Participants were recruited from three non-profit community organizations that serve Latino families in Arizona.  Immigrant parents with children between the ages of 7 and 12 were eligible to participate.  A total of 54 participants completed in-depth semi-structured interviews.  The interview guide included a series of questions related to the impact of immigration policies on children and parents efforts to shield them from such policies.  All participants were first generation Latino immigrant parents; 96.3% were Mexican; 79.6% were female; and approximately 70% did not graduate high school.  Informed by grounded theory, a constant comparative approach was used between and within transcripts while completing initial and focused coding.  To support the trustworthiness of the study, the analysis was conducted by two team members to reduce researcher bias and substantial quotes are featured to augment credibility.       

Results: Parents acted directly and indirectly to reduce the harm from anti-immigrant policies on Latino youth.  They protected youth by focusing on children’s safety and wellbeing (let children have a childhood, be prepared, send messages), building parents capacity (pursue education, obtain papers), and engaging in change efforts at the community level (be proactive).  Parents aimed to minimize the threat of deportation and prevalent fear by shielding their children from the societal implications of anti-immigration policies on their families. Parents sent impassioned messages to their children to motivate them to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals. They prepared by granting cartas de poder [Statements of Guardianship] to identified individuals who would care for their children should they be arrested or deported.  To improve legal and economic security parents engaged in means of obtaining legal immigration status and pursued higher education.  Furthermore, parents were proactive and advocated for changes in policies and their communities.  Parents believed that by engaging in these efforts they could protect their children, and diminish the negative effects of anti-immigrant policies.  

Conclusions and Implications:  Immigrant parents demonstrated strength and resiliency in their efforts to protect their children by means of direct and indirect action.  It is essential for the practice of strengths based social work that social workers partner with immigrant families to build their capacities and support immigrant parents’ efforts to protect their children. Community based interventions, such as the promotoras models (lay helpers), can assist immigrant parents by advocating on their behalf and guiding them to available resources.