Borders within Borders: Service Provider Voices across America's Patchwork of Immigration Policies

Background and Purpose: Changes in immigration enforcement policies increase fear of deportation, detention, and other enforcement actions, placing Latine/x immigrant youth and families at higher risk of depression, anxiety, PTSD, housing instability, and food insecurity. These harmful policies limit access to social services. Providers’ perspectives are essential for advancing the inclusion and improving the wellbeing of Latine/x immigrant youth and families. Service provision ensures access to legal, social, and health services and may mediate adverse health outcomes associated with immigration enforcement. This mixed-method study examines how service providers working with Latine/x immigrant families across California, New Mexico, and Texas navigate shifting rules, regulations, and political contexts. Using interview and survey data, the study offers providers strategies to better serve immigrant communities and informs local and federal policies that support Latine/x immigrant-serving organizations and families.

Methods: Using mixed methods, 75 service providers participated in a survey (20 minutes) and semi-structured interview (1 hour), equally distributed across states (n=25). Surveys assessed the impact of immigration enforcement policies on practices and measured secondary traumatic stress and burnout. Qualitative interviews explored how providers navigate policy changes affecting their clients and services. A grounded theory approach was utilized to explore the process of how service providers navigate and overcome real and hypothetical changes to immigration enforcement policies, and how it varies across socio-political contexts.

Results: Interviews with service providers highlight the challenges faced by immigrant communities and those supporting them. Immigration enforcement policies created fear and uncertainty, discouraging immigrants from accessing essential services like healthcare and education due to misinformation and the threat of detention. This fear exacerbated vulnerability while confusion between local law enforcement and ICE further alienates communities. Providers faced increased workloads without adequate organizational support, leading to burnout from emotional strain. Coping mechanisms included faith, therapy, creative outlets, and boundary-setting, but systemic support remained insufficient. Despite these challenges, providers adapted by staying informed, offering "Know Your Rights" trainings, emotional support, and advocating for policy change. Differences in organizational resources and policy knowledge affected their roles, with urban areas and progressive states often having more resources and providing more immediate support.

Conclusions and Implications: Providers play a vital role in addressing immediate needs and fostering resilience among immigrant families. Their experiences as “policy shock absorbers” are critical in today’s immigration climate as they help families navigate systemic barriers under volatile policies. Structural reforms are needed to ensure equitable service delivery and wellbeing for both providers and communities.