Faculty Spotlight: Dr. Kristina Lovato
Assessing the Social Service Needs of Latinx Immigrant Families Impacted by Immigration Enforcement and COVID-19
During the summer of 2020, Dr. Lovato received funding through the CSULB ORSP Summer Student Research Assistant program to hire graduate research assistant, Jesse Ramirez, MSW candidate to conduct a qualitative study examining the impact of immigration enforcement and COVID-19 on Latinx immigrant families in Los Angeles.
Shifts in federal U.S. immigration policies over the past two decades have exacerbated fears among immigrant communities and mixed- status families. The impacts of these policy changes, which include the narrowing of the public charge rule, threats to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), asylum restrictions, and forced family separations at the U.S. / Mexico border, have been further intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examined: 1) the social service needs of Latinx immigrant families impacted by immigration enforcement and COVID-19; and 2) the experiences of social service agencies in serving immigrant families during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted via phone with social service providers (N=25), who serve immigrant populations in Los Angeles. Perspectives from both administrators and frontline staff were elicited about the barriers to serving immigrants during the global pandemic and how their service needs may have changed during COVID-19. Preliminary findings show: 1) Latinx immigrants use of health and mental health services decreased significantly due to fears of public charge; 2) agencies adapted to new demands during the Shelter-in-Place order by providing remote therapies and disseminating bilingual information to their clients to dispel myths/fears regarding COVID-19; 3) service providers mobilized online services such as legal clinics, ESL classes, and training to empower immigrant communities at risk of deportation; 4) social service providers reported experiencing emotional burnout due to an increase in workload during the pandemic and expressed a need for more training to support immigrant families.
The study explores how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has exposed systemic inequities in U.S. health care and economics; disproportionately impacting Latinx immigrant communities. Potential benefits from this study include a summary of recommendations about effective innovations and adaptations to improve service provision and policies impacting immigrant and mixed-status families. Findings will be disseminated widely to community agencies through a technical report, workshops, and manuscript publications. A Call to Action essay is forthcoming in the journal, Child Welfare (November 2020).
