NAU publications by CHER
Faculty & staff publications
NAU faculty and staff have the opportunity to publish their findings and knowledge as authors. CHER has many researchers that have been cited multiple times in major publications for their great work. The Center for Health Equity Research has accumulated all faculty publications into one, easy to navigate database.
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Coulter K., Sabo Martínez Chisholm Gonzalez Bass Zavala Villalobos Garcia Levy Slack S D K K S E D T J A Study and Analysis of the Treatment of Mexican Unaccompanied Minors by Customs and Border Protection Journal Article Journal on Migration and Human Security, 2020. @article{Coulter2020, title = {A Study and Analysis of the Treatment of Mexican Unaccompanied Minors by Customs and Border Protection}, author = {Coulter, K., Sabo, S., Martínez, D., Chisholm, K., Gonzalez, K., Bass Zavala, S., Villalobos E., Garcia D. Levy, T., Slack, J.}, url = {https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2331502420915898}, doi = {10.1177/2331502420915898}, year = {2020}, date = {2020-04-22}, journal = {Journal on Migration and Human Security}, abstract = {The routine human rights abuses and due process violations of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have contributed to a mounting humanitarian and legal crisis along the US–Mexico border. In the United States, the treatment of UAC is governed by laws, policies, and standards drawn from the Flores Settlement, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA), and CBP procedures and directives, which are intended to ensure UAC’s protection, well-being, and ability to pursue relief from removal, such as asylum. As nongovernmental organizations and human rights groups have documented, however, CBP has repeatedly violated these legal standards and policies, and subjected UAC to abuses and rights violations. This article draws from surveys of 97 recently deported Mexican UAC, which examine their experiences with US immigration authorities. The study finds that Mexican UAC are detained in subpar conditions, are routinely not screened for fear of return to their home countries or for human trafficking, and are not sufficiently informed about the deportation process. The article recommends that CBP should take immediate steps to improve the treatment of UAC, that CBP and other entities responsible for the care of UAC be monitored to ensure their compliance with US law and policy, and that Mexican UAC be afforded the same procedures and protection under the TVPRA as UAC from noncontiguous states.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } The routine human rights abuses and due process violations of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have contributed to a mounting humanitarian and legal crisis along the US–Mexico border. In the United States, the treatment of UAC is governed by laws, policies, and standards drawn from the Flores Settlement, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA), and CBP procedures and directives, which are intended to ensure UAC’s protection, well-being, and ability to pursue relief from removal, such as asylum. As nongovernmental organizations and human rights groups have documented, however, CBP has repeatedly violated these legal standards and policies, and subjected UAC to abuses and rights violations. This article draws from surveys of 97 recently deported Mexican UAC, which examine their experiences with US immigration authorities. The study finds that Mexican UAC are detained in subpar conditions, are routinely not screened for fear of return to their home countries or for human trafficking, and are not sufficiently informed about the deportation process. The article recommends that CBP should take immediate steps to improve the treatment of UAC, that CBP and other entities responsible for the care of UAC be monitored to ensure their compliance with US law and policy, and that Mexican UAC be afforded the same procedures and protection under the TVPRA as UAC from noncontiguous states. |
Valdez, Elizabeth Salerno; Sabo, Samantha; Butler, Matthew; Camplain, Ricky; Simpson, Rosi; Castro, Yara Perinatal Depression Symptom Prevalence on the U.S.–Mexico Border Journal Article Journal of Rural Mental Health, 43 (1), pp. 38-44, 2019. @article{Valdez2019, title = {Perinatal Depression Symptom Prevalence on the U.S.–Mexico Border}, author = {Elizabeth Salerno Valdez and Samantha Sabo and Matthew Butler and Ricky Camplain and Rosi Simpson and Yara Castro}, editor = {PhD James L. Werth}, url = {https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-06780-004?doi=1}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-01-01}, journal = {Journal of Rural Mental Health}, volume = {43}, number = {1}, pages = {38-44}, abstract = {At the U.S.–Mexico border, immigration policies have been documented to exacerbate health inequities among immigrant communities. We examined the prevalence of perinatal depressive symptomatology among Mexican-origin mothers living on the U.S.–Mexico border. Data for 1,629 pre- and postnatal women were drawn from a Community Health Worker Home Visiting Program from 2008 to 2016. Participants were screened for perinatal depressive symptomatology using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Prevalence and associated 95% confidence intervals for prenatal and postnatal depression scores were estimated among women with prenatal depression scores only, postnatal depression scores only, and among women with both prenatal and postnatal scores by year and by participant characteristics. Participants were predominantly Mexican, Spanish-speaking, unmarried, with less than high school education, and with an annual income of less than $15,000. Prenatal and postnatal EPDS scores indicating low risk for depression (i.e., 0–5) ranged from 59.4% to 64.8% and 62.2% to 71.9%, respectively. Moderate risk prenatal and postnatal EPDS scores (i.e., 6–12) ranged from 28.6% to 32.1% and 22.8% to 25.6%, respectively. High-risk prenatal and postnatal EPDS scores (i.e., ≥13) ranged from 6.6% to 8.5% and 5.3% to 12.3%, respectively. In the context of a proliferation of anti-immigrant policies that jeopardize social determinants of maternal well-being, we observed a sustained upward trend in mean EPDS scores. U.S.–Mexico border women may be at particular risk for discrimination, stress, and victimization because of U.S. immigration and border security policies. This brief report generates a baseline prevalence of perinatal depressive symptomatology among women of Mexican origin and offers public health research explanations for maternal mental well-being at the U.S.–Mexico border. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } At the U.S.–Mexico border, immigration policies have been documented to exacerbate health inequities among immigrant communities. We examined the prevalence of perinatal depressive symptomatology among Mexican-origin mothers living on the U.S.–Mexico border. Data for 1,629 pre- and postnatal women were drawn from a Community Health Worker Home Visiting Program from 2008 to 2016. Participants were screened for perinatal depressive symptomatology using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Prevalence and associated 95% confidence intervals for prenatal and postnatal depression scores were estimated among women with prenatal depression scores only, postnatal depression scores only, and among women with both prenatal and postnatal scores by year and by participant characteristics. Participants were predominantly Mexican, Spanish-speaking, unmarried, with less than high school education, and with an annual income of less than $15,000. Prenatal and postnatal EPDS scores indicating low risk for depression (i.e., 0–5) ranged from 59.4% to 64.8% and 62.2% to 71.9%, respectively. Moderate risk prenatal and postnatal EPDS scores (i.e., 6–12) ranged from 28.6% to 32.1% and 22.8% to 25.6%, respectively. High-risk prenatal and postnatal EPDS scores (i.e., ≥13) ranged from 6.6% to 8.5% and 5.3% to 12.3%, respectively. In the context of a proliferation of anti-immigrant policies that jeopardize social determinants of maternal well-being, we observed a sustained upward trend in mean EPDS scores. U.S.–Mexico border women may be at particular risk for discrimination, stress, and victimization because of U.S. immigration and border security policies. This brief report generates a baseline prevalence of perinatal depressive symptomatology among women of Mexican origin and offers public health research explanations for maternal mental well-being at the U.S.–Mexico border. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved) |
Valdez, Elizabeth Salerno; Sabo, Samantha; Butler, Matthew; Camplain, Ricky; Simpson, Rosi; Castro, Yara Perinatal depression symptom prevalence on the U.S.–Mexico border Journal Article Journal of Rural Mental Health, 43 (1), pp. 38-44, 2019. @article{Valdez2019c, title = {Perinatal depression symptom prevalence on the U.S.–Mexico border}, author = {Elizabeth Salerno Valdez and Samantha Sabo and Matthew Butler and Ricky Camplain and Rosi Simpson and Yara Castro}, editor = {James L. Werth}, url = {https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-06780-004?doi=1}, doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/rmh0000107}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-01-01}, journal = { Journal of Rural Mental Health}, volume = {43}, number = {1}, pages = {38-44}, abstract = {At the U.S.–Mexico border, immigration policies have been documented to exacerbate health inequities among immigrant communities. We examined the prevalence of perinatal depressive symptomatology among Mexican-origin mothers living on the U.S.–Mexico border. Data for 1,629 pre- and postnatal women were drawn from a Community Health Worker Home Visiting Program from 2008 to 2016. Participants were screened for perinatal depressive symptomatology using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Prevalence and associated 95% confidence intervals for prenatal and postnatal depression scores were estimated among women with prenatal depression scores only, postnatal depression scores only, and among women with both prenatal and postnatal scores by year and by participant characteristics. Participants were predominantly Mexican, Spanish-speaking, unmarried, with less than high school education, and with an annual income of less than $15,000. Prenatal and postnatal EPDS scores indicating low risk for depression (i.e., 0–5) ranged from 59.4% to 64.8% and 62.2% to 71.9%, respectively. Moderate risk prenatal and postnatal EPDS scores (i.e., 6–12) ranged from 28.6% to 32.1% and 22.8% to 25.6%, respectively. High-risk prenatal and postnatal EPDS scores (i.e., ≥13) ranged from 6.6% to 8.5% and 5.3% to 12.3%, respectively. In the context of a proliferation of anti-immigrant policies that jeopardize social determinants of maternal well-being, we observed a sustained upward trend in mean EPDS scores. U.S.–Mexico border women may be at particular risk for discrimination, stress, and victimization because of U.S. immigration and border security policies. This brief report generates a baseline prevalence of perinatal depressive symptomatology among women of Mexican origin and offers public health research explanations for maternal mental well-being at the U.S.–Mexico border. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } At the U.S.–Mexico border, immigration policies have been documented to exacerbate health inequities among immigrant communities. We examined the prevalence of perinatal depressive symptomatology among Mexican-origin mothers living on the U.S.–Mexico border. Data for 1,629 pre- and postnatal women were drawn from a Community Health Worker Home Visiting Program from 2008 to 2016. Participants were screened for perinatal depressive symptomatology using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Prevalence and associated 95% confidence intervals for prenatal and postnatal depression scores were estimated among women with prenatal depression scores only, postnatal depression scores only, and among women with both prenatal and postnatal scores by year and by participant characteristics. Participants were predominantly Mexican, Spanish-speaking, unmarried, with less than high school education, and with an annual income of less than $15,000. Prenatal and postnatal EPDS scores indicating low risk for depression (i.e., 0–5) ranged from 59.4% to 64.8% and 62.2% to 71.9%, respectively. Moderate risk prenatal and postnatal EPDS scores (i.e., 6–12) ranged from 28.6% to 32.1% and 22.8% to 25.6%, respectively. High-risk prenatal and postnatal EPDS scores (i.e., ≥13) ranged from 6.6% to 8.5% and 5.3% to 12.3%, respectively. In the context of a proliferation of anti-immigrant policies that jeopardize social determinants of maternal well-being, we observed a sustained upward trend in mean EPDS scores. U.S.–Mexico border women may be at particular risk for discrimination, stress, and victimization because of U.S. immigration and border security policies. This brief report generates a baseline prevalence of perinatal depressive symptomatology among women of Mexican origin and offers public health research explanations for maternal mental well-being at the U.S.–Mexico border. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved) |
Valdez, Elizabeth Salerno; Valdez, Luis A; Sabo, Samantha Frontiers in Public Health, 3 (163), pp. 1-8, 2015. @article{Valdez2015, title = {Structural Vulnerability Among Migrating Women and Children Fleeing Central America and Mexico: The Public Health Impact of "Humanitarian Parole"}, author = {Elizabeth Salerno Valdez and Luis A Valdez and Samantha Sabo}, url = {https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26157791}, doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2015.00163}, year = {2015}, date = {2015-06-24}, journal = {Frontiers in Public Health}, volume = {3}, number = {163}, pages = {1-8}, abstract = {Since October 2013, US Customs and Border Patrol has apprehended 15,979 families on the Southwest Border of the US. Daily, migrating women and children from Mexico and Central America that qualify for humanitarian parole are released from immigration detention to a humanitarian aid organization in Southern Arizona. After several days in detention facilities, these families arrive tired, hungry, dehydrated, and with minimal direction regarding their final destination, and adherence to the parameters of their parole. Project helping hands (PHHs) utilizes a network of volunteers to provide the women and children with food, water, clothing, hygiene products, hospitality, and legal orientation. The aim of this assessment was to document the experiences of families granted humanitarian parole through the lens of structural vulnerability. Here, we apply qualitative methods to elicit PHH lead volunteer perspectives regarding the migration experience of migrating families. Using inductive analysis, we found six major themes emerged from the qualitative data: reasons for leaving, experience on the journey, dehumanization in detention, family separation, vulnerability, and resiliency. These findings elucidate the different physical and psychological distresses that migrating families from Mexico and Central America experience before, during and after their arrival at the US-Mexico border. We posit that these distresses are a result of, or exacerbated by, structural vulnerability. Structural vulnerability has life-long health implications for a sub-population of young mothers and their children. The number of migrating families who have experienced traumatic events before and during their migration experience continues to expand and thus warrants consideration of mental health surveillance and intervention efforts for these families. More public health research is needed to better understand and combat the health challenges of this growing population.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Since October 2013, US Customs and Border Patrol has apprehended 15,979 families on the Southwest Border of the US. Daily, migrating women and children from Mexico and Central America that qualify for humanitarian parole are released from immigration detention to a humanitarian aid organization in Southern Arizona. After several days in detention facilities, these families arrive tired, hungry, dehydrated, and with minimal direction regarding their final destination, and adherence to the parameters of their parole. Project helping hands (PHHs) utilizes a network of volunteers to provide the women and children with food, water, clothing, hygiene products, hospitality, and legal orientation. The aim of this assessment was to document the experiences of families granted humanitarian parole through the lens of structural vulnerability. Here, we apply qualitative methods to elicit PHH lead volunteer perspectives regarding the migration experience of migrating families. Using inductive analysis, we found six major themes emerged from the qualitative data: reasons for leaving, experience on the journey, dehumanization in detention, family separation, vulnerability, and resiliency. These findings elucidate the different physical and psychological distresses that migrating families from Mexico and Central America experience before, during and after their arrival at the US-Mexico border. We posit that these distresses are a result of, or exacerbated by, structural vulnerability. Structural vulnerability has life-long health implications for a sub-population of young mothers and their children. The number of migrating families who have experienced traumatic events before and during their migration experience continues to expand and thus warrants consideration of mental health surveillance and intervention efforts for these families. More public health research is needed to better understand and combat the health challenges of this growing population. |
Sabo, Samantha; Shaw, Susan; Ingram, Maia; Teufel-Shone, Nicolette; Carvajal, Scott; de Zapien, Jill Guernsey; Rosales, Cecilia; Redondo, Flor; Garcia, Gina; Rubio-Goldsmith, Raquel Everyday violence, structural racism and mistreatment at the US-Mexico border Journal Article Social Science and Medicine, 109 , pp. 66-74, 2014. @article{Sabo2014, title = {Everyday violence, structural racism and mistreatment at the US-Mexico border}, author = {Samantha Sabo and Susan Shaw and Maia Ingram and Nicolette Teufel-Shone and Scott Carvajal and Jill Guernsey de Zapien and Cecilia Rosales and Flor Redondo and Gina Garcia and Raquel Rubio-Goldsmith}, url = {https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24705336}, doi = {10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.02.005}, year = {2014}, date = {2014-05-01}, journal = {Social Science and Medicine}, volume = {109}, pages = {66-74}, abstract = {Immigration laws that militarize communities may exacerbate ethno-racial health disparities. We aimed to document the prevalence of and ways in which immigration enforcement policy and militarization of the US-Mexico border is experienced as everyday violence. Militarization is defined as the saturation of and pervasive encounters with immigration officials including local police enacting immigration and border enforcement policy with military style tactics and weapons. Data were drawn from a random household sample of US citizen and permanent residents of Mexican descent in the Arizona border region (2006-2008). Qualitative and quantitative data documented the frequency and nature of immigration related profiling, mistreatment and resistance to institutionalized victimization. Participants described living and working in a highly militarized environment, wherein immigration-related profiling and mistreatment were common immigration law enforcement practices. Approximately 25% of respondents described an immigration-related mistreatment episode, of which 62% were personally victimized. Nearly 75% of episodes occurred in a community location rather than at a US port of entry. Participant mistreatment narratives suggest the normalization of immigration-related mistreatment among the population. Given border security remains at the core of immigration reform debates, it is imperative that scholars advance the understanding of the public health impact of such enforcement policies on the daily lives of Mexican-origin US permanent residents, and their non-immigrant US citizen co-ethnics. Immigration policy that sanctions institutional practices of discrimination, such as ethno-racial profiling and mistreatment, are forms of structural racism and everyday violence. Metrics and systems for monitoring immigration and border enforcement policies and institutional practices deleterious to the health of US citizens and residents should be established.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Immigration laws that militarize communities may exacerbate ethno-racial health disparities. We aimed to document the prevalence of and ways in which immigration enforcement policy and militarization of the US-Mexico border is experienced as everyday violence. Militarization is defined as the saturation of and pervasive encounters with immigration officials including local police enacting immigration and border enforcement policy with military style tactics and weapons. Data were drawn from a random household sample of US citizen and permanent residents of Mexican descent in the Arizona border region (2006-2008). Qualitative and quantitative data documented the frequency and nature of immigration related profiling, mistreatment and resistance to institutionalized victimization. Participants described living and working in a highly militarized environment, wherein immigration-related profiling and mistreatment were common immigration law enforcement practices. Approximately 25% of respondents described an immigration-related mistreatment episode, of which 62% were personally victimized. Nearly 75% of episodes occurred in a community location rather than at a US port of entry. Participant mistreatment narratives suggest the normalization of immigration-related mistreatment among the population. Given border security remains at the core of immigration reform debates, it is imperative that scholars advance the understanding of the public health impact of such enforcement policies on the daily lives of Mexican-origin US permanent residents, and their non-immigrant US citizen co-ethnics. Immigration policy that sanctions institutional practices of discrimination, such as ethno-racial profiling and mistreatment, are forms of structural racism and everyday violence. Metrics and systems for monitoring immigration and border enforcement policies and institutional practices deleterious to the health of US citizens and residents should be established. |
Sabo, Samantha; de Zapien, Jill Guernsey; Teufel-Shone, Nicolette; Rosales, Cecilia HERITAGE 2014 Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Heritage and Sustainable Development, 1 (1), Green Lines Institute for Sustainable Development, 2014, ISBN: 978-989-98013-7. @conference{Sabo2014b, title = {Entre Fronteras (Between Borders): The Power of Service-Learning in Cultural Exchange and Social Action in the United States -Mexico Borderlands}, author = {Samantha Sabo and Jill Guernsey de Zapien and Nicolette Teufel-Shone and Cecilia Rosales}, url = {https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Laura_Demeter/publication/272677297_Assessing_the_cultural_value_of_the_communist_legacy_in_Romania/links/54eb27240cf2f7aa4d5a66a2/Assessing-the-cultural-value-of-the-communist-legacy-in-Romania.pdf}, doi = {10.14575/gl/heritage2014}, isbn = {978-989-98013-7}, year = {2014}, date = {2014-01-01}, booktitle = {HERITAGE 2014 Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Heritage and Sustainable Development}, volume = {1}, number = {1}, pages = {749-760}, publisher = {Green Lines Institute for Sustainable Development}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {conference} } |
Gallegos, Patricia A; Velez, Maria Ortega I; Rosales, Cecilia; de Zapien, Jill; Sabo, Samantha; Zapien, Antonio Migracion y atención a la salud de los Jornalero agricolas Book Chapter In Alternativas en la crisis para la transformación de las políticas sociales en México,, Chapter 7, El Colegio de Sonora, CIAD, Fundación Konrad Adenauer, 2013, ISBN: 978-607-7900-11-5. @inbook{Gallegos2013, title = {Migracion y atención a la salud de los Jornalero agricolas}, author = {Patricia A Gallegos and Maria Ortega I Velez and Cecilia Rosales and Jill de Zapien and Samantha Sabo and Antonio Zapien}, url = {http://alamo.colson.edu.mx:8085/sitios/CESS/091020_frutosTrabajo/frutos_archivos/ArandaOrtega2013_Migracion%20y%20atencion.pdf}, isbn = {978-607-7900-11-5}, year = {2013}, date = {2013-01-01}, booktitle = {In Alternativas en la crisis para la transformación de las políticas sociales en México,}, publisher = {El Colegio de Sonora, CIAD, Fundación Konrad Adenauer}, chapter = {7}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inbook} } |
Sabo, Samantha; Ingram, Maia; Wennerstrom, Ashley Social Justice and Health in Arizona Border Communities: The Community Health Worker Model Book Chapter Esparza, Adrian X; Donelson, Angela J (Ed.): The Colonias Reader, Chapter 13, pp. 190-203, 2010, ISBN: 978-0-8165-2852-3. @inbook{Sabo2010, title = {Social Justice and Health in Arizona Border Communities: The Community Health Worker Model}, author = {Samantha Sabo and Maia Ingram and Ashley Wennerstrom}, editor = {Adrian X Esparza and Angela J Donelson}, url = {http://www.uapress.arizona.edu/Books/bid2210.htm#}, isbn = {978-0-8165-2852-3}, year = {2010}, date = {2010-01-01}, booktitle = {The Colonias Reader}, issuetitle = {Economy, Housing and Public Health in U.S.- Mexico Border Colonias}, pages = {190-203}, chapter = {13}, institution = {The University of Arizona Press}, abstract = {The colonias of the U.S.-Mexico border form a loose network of more than 2,500 settlements, ranging in size from villages to cities, that are home to over a million people. While varying in size, all share common features: wrenching poverty, substandard housing, and public health issues approaching crisis levels. This book brings together scholars, professionals, and activists from a wide range of disciplines to examine the pressing issues of economic development, housing and community development, and public and environmental health in colonias of the four U.S.-Mexico border states. The Colonias Reader is the first book to present such a broad overview of these communities, offering a glimpse into life in the colonias and the circumstances that allow them to continue to exist—and even grow—in persistent poverty. The contributors document the depth of existing problems in each state and describe how government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and community activists have mobilized resources to overcome obstacles to progress. More than reporting problems and documenting programs, the book provides conceptual frameworks that tie poverty to institutional and class-based conflicts, and even challenges the very basis of colonia designations. Most of these contributions move beyond portraying border residents as hapless victims of discrimination and racism, showing instead their devotion to improving their own living conditions through grassroots organizing and community leadership. These contributions show that, despite varying degrees of success, all colonia residents aspire to a livable wage, safe and decent housing, and basic health care. The Colonias Reader showcases many situations in which these people have organized to fulfill these ambitions and provides new insight into life along the border.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inbook} } The colonias of the U.S.-Mexico border form a loose network of more than 2,500 settlements, ranging in size from villages to cities, that are home to over a million people. While varying in size, all share common features: wrenching poverty, substandard housing, and public health issues approaching crisis levels. This book brings together scholars, professionals, and activists from a wide range of disciplines to examine the pressing issues of economic development, housing and community development, and public and environmental health in colonias of the four U.S.-Mexico border states. The Colonias Reader is the first book to present such a broad overview of these communities, offering a glimpse into life in the colonias and the circumstances that allow them to continue to exist—and even grow—in persistent poverty. The contributors document the depth of existing problems in each state and describe how government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and community activists have mobilized resources to overcome obstacles to progress. More than reporting problems and documenting programs, the book provides conceptual frameworks that tie poverty to institutional and class-based conflicts, and even challenges the very basis of colonia designations. Most of these contributions move beyond portraying border residents as hapless victims of discrimination and racism, showing instead their devotion to improving their own living conditions through grassroots organizing and community leadership. These contributions show that, despite varying degrees of success, all colonia residents aspire to a livable wage, safe and decent housing, and basic health care. The Colonias Reader showcases many situations in which these people have organized to fulfill these ambitions and provides new insight into life along the border. |
2020 |
Coulter K., Sabo Martínez Chisholm Gonzalez Bass Zavala Villalobos Garcia Levy Slack S D K K S E D T J A Study and Analysis of the Treatment of Mexican Unaccompanied Minors by Customs and Border Protection Journal Article Journal on Migration and Human Security, 2020. @article{Coulter2020, title = {A Study and Analysis of the Treatment of Mexican Unaccompanied Minors by Customs and Border Protection}, author = {Coulter, K., Sabo, S., Martínez, D., Chisholm, K., Gonzalez, K., Bass Zavala, S., Villalobos E., Garcia D. Levy, T., Slack, J.}, url = {https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2331502420915898}, doi = {10.1177/2331502420915898}, year = {2020}, date = {2020-04-22}, journal = {Journal on Migration and Human Security}, abstract = {The routine human rights abuses and due process violations of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have contributed to a mounting humanitarian and legal crisis along the US–Mexico border. In the United States, the treatment of UAC is governed by laws, policies, and standards drawn from the Flores Settlement, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA), and CBP procedures and directives, which are intended to ensure UAC’s protection, well-being, and ability to pursue relief from removal, such as asylum. As nongovernmental organizations and human rights groups have documented, however, CBP has repeatedly violated these legal standards and policies, and subjected UAC to abuses and rights violations. This article draws from surveys of 97 recently deported Mexican UAC, which examine their experiences with US immigration authorities. The study finds that Mexican UAC are detained in subpar conditions, are routinely not screened for fear of return to their home countries or for human trafficking, and are not sufficiently informed about the deportation process. The article recommends that CBP should take immediate steps to improve the treatment of UAC, that CBP and other entities responsible for the care of UAC be monitored to ensure their compliance with US law and policy, and that Mexican UAC be afforded the same procedures and protection under the TVPRA as UAC from noncontiguous states.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } The routine human rights abuses and due process violations of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have contributed to a mounting humanitarian and legal crisis along the US–Mexico border. In the United States, the treatment of UAC is governed by laws, policies, and standards drawn from the Flores Settlement, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA), and CBP procedures and directives, which are intended to ensure UAC’s protection, well-being, and ability to pursue relief from removal, such as asylum. As nongovernmental organizations and human rights groups have documented, however, CBP has repeatedly violated these legal standards and policies, and subjected UAC to abuses and rights violations. This article draws from surveys of 97 recently deported Mexican UAC, which examine their experiences with US immigration authorities. The study finds that Mexican UAC are detained in subpar conditions, are routinely not screened for fear of return to their home countries or for human trafficking, and are not sufficiently informed about the deportation process. The article recommends that CBP should take immediate steps to improve the treatment of UAC, that CBP and other entities responsible for the care of UAC be monitored to ensure their compliance with US law and policy, and that Mexican UAC be afforded the same procedures and protection under the TVPRA as UAC from noncontiguous states. |
2019 |
Valdez, Elizabeth Salerno; Sabo, Samantha; Butler, Matthew; Camplain, Ricky; Simpson, Rosi; Castro, Yara Perinatal Depression Symptom Prevalence on the U.S.–Mexico Border Journal Article Journal of Rural Mental Health, 43 (1), pp. 38-44, 2019. @article{Valdez2019, title = {Perinatal Depression Symptom Prevalence on the U.S.–Mexico Border}, author = {Elizabeth Salerno Valdez and Samantha Sabo and Matthew Butler and Ricky Camplain and Rosi Simpson and Yara Castro}, editor = {PhD James L. Werth}, url = {https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-06780-004?doi=1}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-01-01}, journal = {Journal of Rural Mental Health}, volume = {43}, number = {1}, pages = {38-44}, abstract = {At the U.S.–Mexico border, immigration policies have been documented to exacerbate health inequities among immigrant communities. We examined the prevalence of perinatal depressive symptomatology among Mexican-origin mothers living on the U.S.–Mexico border. Data for 1,629 pre- and postnatal women were drawn from a Community Health Worker Home Visiting Program from 2008 to 2016. Participants were screened for perinatal depressive symptomatology using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Prevalence and associated 95% confidence intervals for prenatal and postnatal depression scores were estimated among women with prenatal depression scores only, postnatal depression scores only, and among women with both prenatal and postnatal scores by year and by participant characteristics. Participants were predominantly Mexican, Spanish-speaking, unmarried, with less than high school education, and with an annual income of less than $15,000. Prenatal and postnatal EPDS scores indicating low risk for depression (i.e., 0–5) ranged from 59.4% to 64.8% and 62.2% to 71.9%, respectively. Moderate risk prenatal and postnatal EPDS scores (i.e., 6–12) ranged from 28.6% to 32.1% and 22.8% to 25.6%, respectively. High-risk prenatal and postnatal EPDS scores (i.e., ≥13) ranged from 6.6% to 8.5% and 5.3% to 12.3%, respectively. In the context of a proliferation of anti-immigrant policies that jeopardize social determinants of maternal well-being, we observed a sustained upward trend in mean EPDS scores. U.S.–Mexico border women may be at particular risk for discrimination, stress, and victimization because of U.S. immigration and border security policies. This brief report generates a baseline prevalence of perinatal depressive symptomatology among women of Mexican origin and offers public health research explanations for maternal mental well-being at the U.S.–Mexico border. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } At the U.S.–Mexico border, immigration policies have been documented to exacerbate health inequities among immigrant communities. We examined the prevalence of perinatal depressive symptomatology among Mexican-origin mothers living on the U.S.–Mexico border. Data for 1,629 pre- and postnatal women were drawn from a Community Health Worker Home Visiting Program from 2008 to 2016. Participants were screened for perinatal depressive symptomatology using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Prevalence and associated 95% confidence intervals for prenatal and postnatal depression scores were estimated among women with prenatal depression scores only, postnatal depression scores only, and among women with both prenatal and postnatal scores by year and by participant characteristics. Participants were predominantly Mexican, Spanish-speaking, unmarried, with less than high school education, and with an annual income of less than $15,000. Prenatal and postnatal EPDS scores indicating low risk for depression (i.e., 0–5) ranged from 59.4% to 64.8% and 62.2% to 71.9%, respectively. Moderate risk prenatal and postnatal EPDS scores (i.e., 6–12) ranged from 28.6% to 32.1% and 22.8% to 25.6%, respectively. High-risk prenatal and postnatal EPDS scores (i.e., ≥13) ranged from 6.6% to 8.5% and 5.3% to 12.3%, respectively. In the context of a proliferation of anti-immigrant policies that jeopardize social determinants of maternal well-being, we observed a sustained upward trend in mean EPDS scores. U.S.–Mexico border women may be at particular risk for discrimination, stress, and victimization because of U.S. immigration and border security policies. This brief report generates a baseline prevalence of perinatal depressive symptomatology among women of Mexican origin and offers public health research explanations for maternal mental well-being at the U.S.–Mexico border. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved) |
Valdez, Elizabeth Salerno; Sabo, Samantha; Butler, Matthew; Camplain, Ricky; Simpson, Rosi; Castro, Yara Perinatal depression symptom prevalence on the U.S.–Mexico border Journal Article Journal of Rural Mental Health, 43 (1), pp. 38-44, 2019. @article{Valdez2019c, title = {Perinatal depression symptom prevalence on the U.S.–Mexico border}, author = {Elizabeth Salerno Valdez and Samantha Sabo and Matthew Butler and Ricky Camplain and Rosi Simpson and Yara Castro}, editor = {James L. Werth}, url = {https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-06780-004?doi=1}, doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/rmh0000107}, year = {2019}, date = {2019-01-01}, journal = { Journal of Rural Mental Health}, volume = {43}, number = {1}, pages = {38-44}, abstract = {At the U.S.–Mexico border, immigration policies have been documented to exacerbate health inequities among immigrant communities. We examined the prevalence of perinatal depressive symptomatology among Mexican-origin mothers living on the U.S.–Mexico border. Data for 1,629 pre- and postnatal women were drawn from a Community Health Worker Home Visiting Program from 2008 to 2016. Participants were screened for perinatal depressive symptomatology using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Prevalence and associated 95% confidence intervals for prenatal and postnatal depression scores were estimated among women with prenatal depression scores only, postnatal depression scores only, and among women with both prenatal and postnatal scores by year and by participant characteristics. Participants were predominantly Mexican, Spanish-speaking, unmarried, with less than high school education, and with an annual income of less than $15,000. Prenatal and postnatal EPDS scores indicating low risk for depression (i.e., 0–5) ranged from 59.4% to 64.8% and 62.2% to 71.9%, respectively. Moderate risk prenatal and postnatal EPDS scores (i.e., 6–12) ranged from 28.6% to 32.1% and 22.8% to 25.6%, respectively. High-risk prenatal and postnatal EPDS scores (i.e., ≥13) ranged from 6.6% to 8.5% and 5.3% to 12.3%, respectively. In the context of a proliferation of anti-immigrant policies that jeopardize social determinants of maternal well-being, we observed a sustained upward trend in mean EPDS scores. U.S.–Mexico border women may be at particular risk for discrimination, stress, and victimization because of U.S. immigration and border security policies. This brief report generates a baseline prevalence of perinatal depressive symptomatology among women of Mexican origin and offers public health research explanations for maternal mental well-being at the U.S.–Mexico border. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } At the U.S.–Mexico border, immigration policies have been documented to exacerbate health inequities among immigrant communities. We examined the prevalence of perinatal depressive symptomatology among Mexican-origin mothers living on the U.S.–Mexico border. Data for 1,629 pre- and postnatal women were drawn from a Community Health Worker Home Visiting Program from 2008 to 2016. Participants were screened for perinatal depressive symptomatology using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Prevalence and associated 95% confidence intervals for prenatal and postnatal depression scores were estimated among women with prenatal depression scores only, postnatal depression scores only, and among women with both prenatal and postnatal scores by year and by participant characteristics. Participants were predominantly Mexican, Spanish-speaking, unmarried, with less than high school education, and with an annual income of less than $15,000. Prenatal and postnatal EPDS scores indicating low risk for depression (i.e., 0–5) ranged from 59.4% to 64.8% and 62.2% to 71.9%, respectively. Moderate risk prenatal and postnatal EPDS scores (i.e., 6–12) ranged from 28.6% to 32.1% and 22.8% to 25.6%, respectively. High-risk prenatal and postnatal EPDS scores (i.e., ≥13) ranged from 6.6% to 8.5% and 5.3% to 12.3%, respectively. In the context of a proliferation of anti-immigrant policies that jeopardize social determinants of maternal well-being, we observed a sustained upward trend in mean EPDS scores. U.S.–Mexico border women may be at particular risk for discrimination, stress, and victimization because of U.S. immigration and border security policies. This brief report generates a baseline prevalence of perinatal depressive symptomatology among women of Mexican origin and offers public health research explanations for maternal mental well-being at the U.S.–Mexico border. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved) |
2015 |
Valdez, Elizabeth Salerno; Valdez, Luis A; Sabo, Samantha Frontiers in Public Health, 3 (163), pp. 1-8, 2015. @article{Valdez2015, title = {Structural Vulnerability Among Migrating Women and Children Fleeing Central America and Mexico: The Public Health Impact of "Humanitarian Parole"}, author = {Elizabeth Salerno Valdez and Luis A Valdez and Samantha Sabo}, url = {https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26157791}, doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2015.00163}, year = {2015}, date = {2015-06-24}, journal = {Frontiers in Public Health}, volume = {3}, number = {163}, pages = {1-8}, abstract = {Since October 2013, US Customs and Border Patrol has apprehended 15,979 families on the Southwest Border of the US. Daily, migrating women and children from Mexico and Central America that qualify for humanitarian parole are released from immigration detention to a humanitarian aid organization in Southern Arizona. After several days in detention facilities, these families arrive tired, hungry, dehydrated, and with minimal direction regarding their final destination, and adherence to the parameters of their parole. Project helping hands (PHHs) utilizes a network of volunteers to provide the women and children with food, water, clothing, hygiene products, hospitality, and legal orientation. The aim of this assessment was to document the experiences of families granted humanitarian parole through the lens of structural vulnerability. Here, we apply qualitative methods to elicit PHH lead volunteer perspectives regarding the migration experience of migrating families. Using inductive analysis, we found six major themes emerged from the qualitative data: reasons for leaving, experience on the journey, dehumanization in detention, family separation, vulnerability, and resiliency. These findings elucidate the different physical and psychological distresses that migrating families from Mexico and Central America experience before, during and after their arrival at the US-Mexico border. We posit that these distresses are a result of, or exacerbated by, structural vulnerability. Structural vulnerability has life-long health implications for a sub-population of young mothers and their children. The number of migrating families who have experienced traumatic events before and during their migration experience continues to expand and thus warrants consideration of mental health surveillance and intervention efforts for these families. More public health research is needed to better understand and combat the health challenges of this growing population.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Since October 2013, US Customs and Border Patrol has apprehended 15,979 families on the Southwest Border of the US. Daily, migrating women and children from Mexico and Central America that qualify for humanitarian parole are released from immigration detention to a humanitarian aid organization in Southern Arizona. After several days in detention facilities, these families arrive tired, hungry, dehydrated, and with minimal direction regarding their final destination, and adherence to the parameters of their parole. Project helping hands (PHHs) utilizes a network of volunteers to provide the women and children with food, water, clothing, hygiene products, hospitality, and legal orientation. The aim of this assessment was to document the experiences of families granted humanitarian parole through the lens of structural vulnerability. Here, we apply qualitative methods to elicit PHH lead volunteer perspectives regarding the migration experience of migrating families. Using inductive analysis, we found six major themes emerged from the qualitative data: reasons for leaving, experience on the journey, dehumanization in detention, family separation, vulnerability, and resiliency. These findings elucidate the different physical and psychological distresses that migrating families from Mexico and Central America experience before, during and after their arrival at the US-Mexico border. We posit that these distresses are a result of, or exacerbated by, structural vulnerability. Structural vulnerability has life-long health implications for a sub-population of young mothers and their children. The number of migrating families who have experienced traumatic events before and during their migration experience continues to expand and thus warrants consideration of mental health surveillance and intervention efforts for these families. More public health research is needed to better understand and combat the health challenges of this growing population. |
2014 |
Sabo, Samantha; Shaw, Susan; Ingram, Maia; Teufel-Shone, Nicolette; Carvajal, Scott; de Zapien, Jill Guernsey; Rosales, Cecilia; Redondo, Flor; Garcia, Gina; Rubio-Goldsmith, Raquel Everyday violence, structural racism and mistreatment at the US-Mexico border Journal Article Social Science and Medicine, 109 , pp. 66-74, 2014. @article{Sabo2014, title = {Everyday violence, structural racism and mistreatment at the US-Mexico border}, author = {Samantha Sabo and Susan Shaw and Maia Ingram and Nicolette Teufel-Shone and Scott Carvajal and Jill Guernsey de Zapien and Cecilia Rosales and Flor Redondo and Gina Garcia and Raquel Rubio-Goldsmith}, url = {https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24705336}, doi = {10.1016/j.socscimed.2014.02.005}, year = {2014}, date = {2014-05-01}, journal = {Social Science and Medicine}, volume = {109}, pages = {66-74}, abstract = {Immigration laws that militarize communities may exacerbate ethno-racial health disparities. We aimed to document the prevalence of and ways in which immigration enforcement policy and militarization of the US-Mexico border is experienced as everyday violence. Militarization is defined as the saturation of and pervasive encounters with immigration officials including local police enacting immigration and border enforcement policy with military style tactics and weapons. Data were drawn from a random household sample of US citizen and permanent residents of Mexican descent in the Arizona border region (2006-2008). Qualitative and quantitative data documented the frequency and nature of immigration related profiling, mistreatment and resistance to institutionalized victimization. Participants described living and working in a highly militarized environment, wherein immigration-related profiling and mistreatment were common immigration law enforcement practices. Approximately 25% of respondents described an immigration-related mistreatment episode, of which 62% were personally victimized. Nearly 75% of episodes occurred in a community location rather than at a US port of entry. Participant mistreatment narratives suggest the normalization of immigration-related mistreatment among the population. Given border security remains at the core of immigration reform debates, it is imperative that scholars advance the understanding of the public health impact of such enforcement policies on the daily lives of Mexican-origin US permanent residents, and their non-immigrant US citizen co-ethnics. Immigration policy that sanctions institutional practices of discrimination, such as ethno-racial profiling and mistreatment, are forms of structural racism and everyday violence. Metrics and systems for monitoring immigration and border enforcement policies and institutional practices deleterious to the health of US citizens and residents should be established.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {article} } Immigration laws that militarize communities may exacerbate ethno-racial health disparities. We aimed to document the prevalence of and ways in which immigration enforcement policy and militarization of the US-Mexico border is experienced as everyday violence. Militarization is defined as the saturation of and pervasive encounters with immigration officials including local police enacting immigration and border enforcement policy with military style tactics and weapons. Data were drawn from a random household sample of US citizen and permanent residents of Mexican descent in the Arizona border region (2006-2008). Qualitative and quantitative data documented the frequency and nature of immigration related profiling, mistreatment and resistance to institutionalized victimization. Participants described living and working in a highly militarized environment, wherein immigration-related profiling and mistreatment were common immigration law enforcement practices. Approximately 25% of respondents described an immigration-related mistreatment episode, of which 62% were personally victimized. Nearly 75% of episodes occurred in a community location rather than at a US port of entry. Participant mistreatment narratives suggest the normalization of immigration-related mistreatment among the population. Given border security remains at the core of immigration reform debates, it is imperative that scholars advance the understanding of the public health impact of such enforcement policies on the daily lives of Mexican-origin US permanent residents, and their non-immigrant US citizen co-ethnics. Immigration policy that sanctions institutional practices of discrimination, such as ethno-racial profiling and mistreatment, are forms of structural racism and everyday violence. Metrics and systems for monitoring immigration and border enforcement policies and institutional practices deleterious to the health of US citizens and residents should be established. |
Sabo, Samantha; de Zapien, Jill Guernsey; Teufel-Shone, Nicolette; Rosales, Cecilia HERITAGE 2014 Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Heritage and Sustainable Development, 1 (1), Green Lines Institute for Sustainable Development, 2014, ISBN: 978-989-98013-7. @conference{Sabo2014b, title = {Entre Fronteras (Between Borders): The Power of Service-Learning in Cultural Exchange and Social Action in the United States -Mexico Borderlands}, author = {Samantha Sabo and Jill Guernsey de Zapien and Nicolette Teufel-Shone and Cecilia Rosales}, url = {https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Laura_Demeter/publication/272677297_Assessing_the_cultural_value_of_the_communist_legacy_in_Romania/links/54eb27240cf2f7aa4d5a66a2/Assessing-the-cultural-value-of-the-communist-legacy-in-Romania.pdf}, doi = {10.14575/gl/heritage2014}, isbn = {978-989-98013-7}, year = {2014}, date = {2014-01-01}, booktitle = {HERITAGE 2014 Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Heritage and Sustainable Development}, volume = {1}, number = {1}, pages = {749-760}, publisher = {Green Lines Institute for Sustainable Development}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {conference} } |
2013 |
Gallegos, Patricia A; Velez, Maria Ortega I; Rosales, Cecilia; de Zapien, Jill; Sabo, Samantha; Zapien, Antonio Migracion y atención a la salud de los Jornalero agricolas Book Chapter In Alternativas en la crisis para la transformación de las políticas sociales en México,, Chapter 7, El Colegio de Sonora, CIAD, Fundación Konrad Adenauer, 2013, ISBN: 978-607-7900-11-5. @inbook{Gallegos2013, title = {Migracion y atención a la salud de los Jornalero agricolas}, author = {Patricia A Gallegos and Maria Ortega I Velez and Cecilia Rosales and Jill de Zapien and Samantha Sabo and Antonio Zapien}, url = {http://alamo.colson.edu.mx:8085/sitios/CESS/091020_frutosTrabajo/frutos_archivos/ArandaOrtega2013_Migracion%20y%20atencion.pdf}, isbn = {978-607-7900-11-5}, year = {2013}, date = {2013-01-01}, booktitle = {In Alternativas en la crisis para la transformación de las políticas sociales en México,}, publisher = {El Colegio de Sonora, CIAD, Fundación Konrad Adenauer}, chapter = {7}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inbook} } |
2010 |
Sabo, Samantha; Ingram, Maia; Wennerstrom, Ashley Social Justice and Health in Arizona Border Communities: The Community Health Worker Model Book Chapter Esparza, Adrian X; Donelson, Angela J (Ed.): The Colonias Reader, Chapter 13, pp. 190-203, 2010, ISBN: 978-0-8165-2852-3. @inbook{Sabo2010, title = {Social Justice and Health in Arizona Border Communities: The Community Health Worker Model}, author = {Samantha Sabo and Maia Ingram and Ashley Wennerstrom}, editor = {Adrian X Esparza and Angela J Donelson}, url = {http://www.uapress.arizona.edu/Books/bid2210.htm#}, isbn = {978-0-8165-2852-3}, year = {2010}, date = {2010-01-01}, booktitle = {The Colonias Reader}, issuetitle = {Economy, Housing and Public Health in U.S.- Mexico Border Colonias}, pages = {190-203}, chapter = {13}, institution = {The University of Arizona Press}, abstract = {The colonias of the U.S.-Mexico border form a loose network of more than 2,500 settlements, ranging in size from villages to cities, that are home to over a million people. While varying in size, all share common features: wrenching poverty, substandard housing, and public health issues approaching crisis levels. This book brings together scholars, professionals, and activists from a wide range of disciplines to examine the pressing issues of economic development, housing and community development, and public and environmental health in colonias of the four U.S.-Mexico border states. The Colonias Reader is the first book to present such a broad overview of these communities, offering a glimpse into life in the colonias and the circumstances that allow them to continue to exist—and even grow—in persistent poverty. The contributors document the depth of existing problems in each state and describe how government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and community activists have mobilized resources to overcome obstacles to progress. More than reporting problems and documenting programs, the book provides conceptual frameworks that tie poverty to institutional and class-based conflicts, and even challenges the very basis of colonia designations. Most of these contributions move beyond portraying border residents as hapless victims of discrimination and racism, showing instead their devotion to improving their own living conditions through grassroots organizing and community leadership. These contributions show that, despite varying degrees of success, all colonia residents aspire to a livable wage, safe and decent housing, and basic health care. The Colonias Reader showcases many situations in which these people have organized to fulfill these ambitions and provides new insight into life along the border.}, keywords = {}, pubstate = {published}, tppubtype = {inbook} } The colonias of the U.S.-Mexico border form a loose network of more than 2,500 settlements, ranging in size from villages to cities, that are home to over a million people. While varying in size, all share common features: wrenching poverty, substandard housing, and public health issues approaching crisis levels. This book brings together scholars, professionals, and activists from a wide range of disciplines to examine the pressing issues of economic development, housing and community development, and public and environmental health in colonias of the four U.S.-Mexico border states. The Colonias Reader is the first book to present such a broad overview of these communities, offering a glimpse into life in the colonias and the circumstances that allow them to continue to exist—and even grow—in persistent poverty. The contributors document the depth of existing problems in each state and describe how government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and community activists have mobilized resources to overcome obstacles to progress. More than reporting problems and documenting programs, the book provides conceptual frameworks that tie poverty to institutional and class-based conflicts, and even challenges the very basis of colonia designations. Most of these contributions move beyond portraying border residents as hapless victims of discrimination and racism, showing instead their devotion to improving their own living conditions through grassroots organizing and community leadership. These contributions show that, despite varying degrees of success, all colonia residents aspire to a livable wage, safe and decent housing, and basic health care. The Colonias Reader showcases many situations in which these people have organized to fulfill these ambitions and provides new insight into life along the border. |