This qualitative research study’s main objective is to explore how Latinas/os in South Phoenix, Arizona perceive the impact of the light rail construction. This phenomenological study utilizes three data sources: pláticas (individual interviews), intergenerational pláticas (focus groups), and a mapping exercise. The theoretical framework is composed of three theories—Ecological Systems Theory, Critical Race, Theory, and Latina/o Critical Theory—which serve as the basis for analyzing the co-collaborators’ lived experiences in relation to the light rail. They view this ongoing development project as symbolic of changes that have taken place in South Phoenix that do not take into account the will of the residents, but rather emphasize the ways that city officials disregard the opinions of residents. Co-collaborators’ experiences related their perceptions, decision-making, and the coping skills they have developed during the construction of the light rail, which I consolidated into five themes: 1) Conexión Emocional con el Sur de Phoenix/Emotional Connection to South Phoenix, 2) Conexión Histórica con el Sur de Phoenix/Historical Connection to South Phoenix, 3) Esperanza y Miedo/Hope and Fear, 4) Movilidad/Mobility (Movilidad Social/Social Mobility y/and Transportación/Transportation), and 5) El Derecho a Quedarse en un Vecindario Transformado/The Right to Remain in a Transformed Neighborhood. The study concludes with implications for social work praxis and recommendations for further study and strategies derived from these findings.

Agricultural and dairy work is among the most dangerous work in the US. In addition to the dangers of work, undocumented migrant workers may face additional stress as a result of the increase in antiimmigration enforcement and criminalization of undocumented status. The purpose of the study was to better understand how migrant dairy workers were impacted by the increase in restrictive immigration policies and immigration enforcement, as well as how they coped with any issues they faced. Interviews were conducted with fourteen migrant dairy workers following the passage of several anti-immigration bills across the US. Findings revealed four major categories; three were related to negative impacts of immigration policies and enforcement:

1. Fear.
2. Stress and anxiety.
3. Perceptions of discrimination.

An additional major category emerged that demonstrated the hope and resilience of participants in the face of an increasingly difficult socio-political environment. Implications for social service practice, policy, and research are discussed.

The purpose of this paper was to examine the impact of perceived discrimination among Latino immigrants in the context of recent immigration policies and immigration enforcement strategies. Data for this study were drawn from a pilot study (n=213) of adult Latino immigrants living in Arizona during the summer of 2014. The results of multivariate OLS linear regressions indicated greater perceived discrimination was significantly related to reporting:

1. Avoidance of immigration officials.
2. Family has suffered.
3. Friends have suffered.

In addition, greater perceived discrimination was significantly related to lower confidence in a better future for the individual, their families, their children, and the children of today.

This study examined the relationship between acculturation and Latinos’ perceptions of health care treatment quality, discrimination, and access to health information. The results of this study indicated that participants who had lower levels of acculturation perceived:

1. Greater discrimination in health care treatment.
2. A lower quality of health care treatment.
3. Less confidence filling out health related forms.
4. Greater challenges understanding written information about their medical conditions.

Participants who identified as immigrants also perceived that their poor quality of medical care was due to their inability to pay and to their race/ethnicity.

Latinas may be unlikely to report violent crime, particularly when undocumented. This research examines the impact of fear of deportation and trust in the procedural fairness of the justice system on willingness to report violent crime victimization among a sample of Latinas (N = 1,049) in the United States. Fear of deportation was a significant predictor of Latinas perceptions of the procedural fairness of the criminal justice system. However, trust in the police is more important than fear of deportation in Latinas’ willingness to report violent crime victimization. Social workers can provide rights-based education and encourage relationship building between police and Latino communities.

This study examined the relationship between the fear of deportation and perceptions of law enforcement, the criminal justice system, and the willingness to report crimes among Latinos in the US. Understanding the relationship between increased immigration enforcement and fear of deportation may promote public safety by improving the relationship between the police and Latino communities.

Multivariate ordinal logistic regression analyses of the data found that participants who had a greater fear of deportation reported:

1. Less confidence that police would not use excessive force (p<.01).
2. Less confidence that police would treat Latinos fairly (p<.05).
3. A lower likelihood of reporting crimes (p<.05).
4. Less confidence that the courts would treat Latinos fairly (p<.01).

This report examines how recent immigration policies and immigration enforcement strategies have impacted Latino immigrants in Arizona. Analyses examined the relationship between fear of deportation and the impact of immigration policies on various aspects of daily life of Latino immigrants as a result of US immigration policies. Results indicate that participants who reported a greater fear of deportation were also significantly more likely to report:

1. Trouble keeping a job.
2. Trouble finding a job.
3. Having been asked for immigration documents.
4. That friends have suffered.
5. That their family has suffered.
6. Lower confidence that police will treat Latino immigrants fairly.
7. Lower confidence that the courts will treat Latino immigrants fairly.
8. Lower confidence that they will have a better future.

Implications for social work practice, advocacy, and research are discussed.