Dissertation Defense 4.26.2013 PPT

8/22/2019 Dissertation Defense 4.26.2013 PPT.

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Frank Anthony Rodriguez

College of Juvenile Justice & Psychology

Prairie View A&M University

Friday, April 26, 2012

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the

Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Juvenile Justice



Title

Unaccompanied Latino Youth On The UnitedStates – Mexico Border: A Qualitative Study





Abstract

Through in-depth interviews with undocumented Latino

youth in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, area I haveexamined how legal status shapes the way 12undocumented youth perceive their existence in the U.S.





Chapter 1/Introduction

History and demographics of undocumented youth andtheir families.

Immigration and post-immigration experiences

Lack of information on unaccompanied Latino youth.





History

With the exception of Native Americans, all United States citizenshave been connected to immigration.

New immigrant arrivals both illegal and legal have reachedhistoric proportions.

40% have overstayed their visa date, entered fraudulently, or failed to depart, and 60% of these undocumented immigrantscrossed the U.S. – Mexican border illegally (LeMay, 2007).





Demographics

Approximately 1.5 million children under age 18 live in theUnited States as unauthorized immigrants (Passel & Taylor,

2010).

65,000 undocumented students graduate from U.S. high schoolseach year (UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education,2007).

Latinos represent 78% of this undocumented population (Perez,Espinoza, Ramos, Coronado, & Cortes, 2009).





Demographics

Approximately 1,000,000 individuals are apprehended

while crossing the U.S./Mexico border each year.

Nearly 100,000 are unaccompanied children (Chavez,

2009).





ChildrenMany children come with their families, others come

alone - seeking jobs, protection, family reunification,

smuggled into the U.S. for sweatshop labor, or sexual

exploitation (Chavez, 2009; Ellis, 2010; National

Juvenile Justice Network, 2006).





Demographics Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), assumed custodial authority of unaccompanied children in 2003, pursuant to the Homeland Security

Act of 2002 (HSA) (Byrne, 2008).

ORR statistics show that 7,000 to 9,000 unaccompanied children have been referred to the ORR from the Department of Homeland Security(DHS) each year since 2005.

This figure does not include the large number of Mexican children whochoose to be “voluntarily returned” to Mexico at the U.S. border, andthus never enter ORR custody) (Byrne, 2008; Ellis, 2010).



Immigration Experience

The immigration experience has many stressors and affectsimmigrant youth in different ways (Dettlaff, Earner, & Phillips,

2009; Ellis, 2010; Portes & Rumbaut, 2001; Suarez – Orozco &Suarez – Orozco, 2001).





Immigration Experience

Testimonies from undocumented youth claim their aggressors

range from border bandits and smugglers, to Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) officers (Solis, 2003).



Post-crossing Social Experiences

Three central emotional concerns for undocumented youth arefear of deportation, loneliness, and depression (Chavez, 2009;Dozier, 1993; Ellis, 2010; Zhou, 1997).





Stress & Risk Factors

According to Flores (2009) undocumented youth also face identity

concerns, challenging socioeconomic and environmental

conditions, vulnerability to trauma, stress, substance abuse

disorders, depression, and other psychiatric disorders, and

multiple barriers to obtaining needed treatment.






Fear of deportation is so central to undocumented youths’experiences, it influences every aspect of their lives (Perez,Espinoza, Ramos, Coronado, & Cortez, 2010).

•Medical Treatment

•Employment

•Close Emotional Relationships•Victims of Crime



Senate Bill 1070, 2010

…where reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is

unlawfully present in the United State, a reasonable attempt shall be made,when practicable, to determine the immigration status of the person.

U.S. v. State of Arizona: In 2011, the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld a

preliminary injunction.

U. S. COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT (Filled April 11, 2011).





President Obama

commented that the law

could “undermine basic

notions of fairness that wecherish as Americans, as

well as the trust between

police and our communities

that is so crucial to keepingus safe” (Archibold, 2010).




This reality of abuse fostered by discriminatory immigration lawsforce undocumented youth to enter an illegal underground culturelater reinforced by labor abuse and even racial or physicalmaltreatment (Perez, Espinoza, Ramos, Coronado, & Cortes,2009; Solis, 2003).



Prior ResearchAlthough literature exists on first and second generationimmigrants, there is a lack of research on unaccompanied youth.

Attention to social development is missing and is much neededgiven the ongoing national political debate about immigration,citizenship, and what it means to be “American” (Perez,Espinoza, Ramos, Coronado, & Cortez, 2010).

To my knowledge this research is the first to examineundocumented youth living in the U.S. without parents or guardians.



Discrimination & Racism

Undocumented youth are faced with more pervasive

experiences of exploitation, vulnerability, and hardships andsometimes are discriminated against by documentedindividuals in their own cultural communities (Chavez, 1991;

Luttinger & Chen, 2008).





Objective This study explored whether unaccompanied youth in the U.S. areable to overcome obstacles (racism, discrimination, language

barriers, deportation, violence, abuse, poverty, lack of education,etc.) to be or continue to be productive individuals who remain tolive in our society.

Through in-depth interviews with 12 undocumented youthwithout parents or guardians, I examined how they got to the U.S.,how legal status shapes the way these youth live in the U.S., andif they want to return to their native country.





Method

The research design was based on qualitative methodology of grounded theory research (Fassinger, 2005; McShane & Williams,

2005; Strauss & Corbin, 1998).





Method

Conducting in – depth interviews utilizing open – ended questions

is the most appropriate methodology for conducting research with

undocumented immigrants who cannot be defined or sampled

through conventional means (Chavez,1992; Cornelius, 1982;

McGuire & Georges, 2003).





Method

Questions focused not only on their aspirations, but also on their

childhood and family history, their border crossing stories, school

experiences, and victimization experiences.



Demographic Questions

What country are you from?

When were you born?

How old were you when you first came to United States?How much education do you have?

Which family members did you leave behind in your country?

Did you pay a coyote to smuggle you?

Have you committed a crime while in the U.S.? If yes, describe.Have you been a victim of a crime in the U.S.? If yes, describe.

Have you ever been detected by U.S. immigration?

If yes, describe.



Questions about self and personal experiences

Tell me about yourself?

Please describe how you came to be in the United States from

your country of origin?With whom did you travel to the United States?

Tell me about your use of drugs and, or alcohol?

Have you ever been a victim of a crime?

Have you ever committed a crime?Tell me about the last time you cried?



Questions about shortly after arriving in the U.S.

What is your current living situation? (With whom do you live?)Tell me about the nicest thing that someone said to you recently?In general, what has life been like for you since coming to the

U.S.?What about life in the U.S. is similar to life in your home country?Tell me what it is like day to day living in America?Tell me about how you get groceries, entertainment, help from thedoctor when you need it?

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Questions about shortly after arriving in the U.S.

Tell me about how you get groceries, entertainment, help from the

doctor when you need it?

What have your employment experiences been like?How have you been treated by your employer?

How do you find employment (e.g., challenging)? Why?

Have you ever been asked to join a gang here in the America?



Questions about reflections on your overallexperience in America

How has your actual experience in the U.S. differed (if at all)from the expectation you had prior to coming here?

How have your experiences impacted the person you have become?

How have you changed as a person as a result of your experiencein the U.S.? To what do you attribute those changes?

What is the best part about being here?What is the hardest/worst part about being here?

What would you change about your life here if you could changeanything?



The final set of questions is about the future.

Do you plan to go back to your native country?

Do you want to become a United States citizen?

In light of your status, what hopes and fears do you have about

your future?

What thoughts do your family have about your future?

Is there anything else about your experience that we have not

covered in this interview that you feel is important for me (others)to know?

Is there any question that you would like me to repeat?



Participants

12 Youth

Undetected

Under 19 years upon arrival

Youngest was 12 years old

No adult supervision upon migration to the U.S.

Have no children during migration





Data Collection & Procedure Prairie View A&M University Institutional Review BoardSnowball

PseudonymsInterview locationInterview range: 90 – 120 min.Audio recordingTranscriptionTranslations





Analysis

Translations were completed, and entered into Microsoft Word

2010, the transcriptions were then uploaded into ATLAS.ti

Version 7.0 for analysis.





Analysis

Each transcript was analyzed separately in order to capture

meaning and main ideas.

Interviews were transcribed, coded, and examined for patterns and

themes using a preliminary code list.





Preliminary Code List Racism – RSM Discrimination – DISC

Fear – FR Stress – STRS

Abuse – AB Perpetrator – PERPBorder Crossing – BC Hunger – HGR

Rape – RP Poverty – PV

Drugs – DRGS Exploitation – XPTN

Violence – V Assault – AST

Victim – VIC Hope – HOPEResponsibility – RESP





Analysis

This allowed additional categorizing and the recognition of major

themes.

Thick description allowed for “thick” explanations, resulting in

“thick” meaning. Known as saturation.





Analysis

This allowed the reader to understand the perspectives and

experiences of the 12 participants being interviewed from the

participants’ view.





Analysis

Descriptive data provide a sense of how significant a particular

participant’s experience is while migrating, border crossing, and

living on the US/Mexican border.





Analysis

After coding, domain charts were created in order to map ideas

and the inter-relationships among concepts.

ATLAS.ti Version 7.0 assisted in categorizing and recognizing

major themes revealed throughout analysis of the interviews.





The Researcher as Instrument

The researcher is a Latino male, Mexican/American

The researcher grew up with many undocumented family members in the Rio

Grande Valley, Texas

Growing up with undocumented grandparents and numerous undocumented

aunts, uncles and cousins in the Rio Grande Valley has allowed the researcher

to view, first-hand, some of the struggles mixed-status families go through

while existing with the terror of possible deportation

The researcher approaches the topic with sympathetic lens



Limitations of the Study

Limited Participant Contact

Mexican and Honduran Origin

Low socio-economic status

U.S./Mexican border (Rio Grande Valley)





Table 1: Profiled Unaccompanied Immigrant Youth



Pseudonym

Age

Now,

as of

2012

Detected

by US

Border

Patrol

Country

of Origin

Age of

Arrival

Victim

of Crime

and/or

Violence

Level of

Education

Acquired

Human

Smuggler

Marvin** 18 No Honduras 14 Yes 5th grade $600

Bryan 20 No Honduras 10 Yes College $3,500

Cowboy 16 No Honduras 12 Yes 9th grade No

Morris* 21 No Honduras 18 Yes 6th grade $800

Joey* 21 Yes Honduras 13 Yes 6th grade $800

Bobby 23 No Mexico 16 Yes 5th grade $350

Henry 25 No Mexico 16 Yes 2nd grade $350

Dynamo 22 Yes Mexico 13 Yes College No

Dan 24 No Mexico 17 Yes 5th grade $800

Marco 33 No Mexico 15 Yes College $Yes

Christopher 25 No Mexico 19 No 8th grade $350/$450

Victor 27 Yes Mexico 19 No 6th grade $250



Three Categories 1st Category: Demographic details and background information, this showed emphases ontheir individual backgrounds including country of origin, age of arrival, current age, level of education, and familial.

2nd Category: Migration and Border Crossing Experiences, provides details of their migrationexperiences and border crossings.

3rd Category: Post-crossing, Social Experiences and Information, illustrated socialexperiences, work experiences, socio economic, living situations, use of alcohol or drugs, andfuture aspirations and motivations in order to help paint a better picture of each respondent inhand.





FINDINGSThemes: Reasons for undocumented

entry

Finances- a better life for their family

Education- college; university (prior

minimal schooling)

Reunification



Themes: Victimization

Kidnapping (by gangs); smugglersUnreported criminal victimizations

(e.g. theft)

Exploited by employers



Themes: Unexpected Suffering

Employment (perceived work would be more plentiful and easier to get than

it actually was); work instability; range of employers (+/-)

Transportation (unable to walk everywhere as in origin country)

Not accessing healthcare (in some cases)

Persistent fear of deportation

Missing family



Themes: Aspirations

To see family (to one day “return home”)

But, first:

Higher education

US citizenship

Financial security



Findings Emerging themes were discovered from the narratives.

Outcomes produced key obstacles and motivations for participantswhile migrating and living on the US/Mexican border.

In-depth analysis concluded that the migration and border crossingexperiences impacted these youth in becoming more resilient andresponsible individuals.





Recommendations

What may be done in order to assist these youth in achieving their future goals?

Health care professionals and organizations need to work withLatino organizations and community leaders to ensure that

psycho-education and safety information reaches all Latinoaudiences, regardless of immigration status (Flores & Kaplan,

2009).

Support provided for current youth will not only affect themdirectly, but will change future generations.



Policy Implications

As more immigrants relocate to different areas of the U.S., it is

imperative for educators, health service providers, researchers,and policy makers to become familiar with their needs and

contributions to society (Coronado, 2008).





Conclusion

Our nation may continue to suffer needlessly if the situation for

these youth does not change.

An immigration system which facilitates legality rather than to

criminalize undocumented youth is needed to help erase the

invisibility of this clandestine population!





Questions?

Documents

Dissertation Defense 4.26.2013 PPT