Due Date: Aug 05, 2018 23:59:59       Max Points: 70Details:The final Research Proposal assignment for this course contains multiple parts that are due at different intervals in the course, wit

SOC-480: Mock Community Case Study-Undocumented Immigrants

Statistical data retrieved from: Migration Policy Institute, (2014). Retrieved from http://www.migrationpolicy.org/data/unauthorized-immigrant-population/state/AZ

Background Information:

Demographics - The population of undocumented immigrants in the state of Arizona includes approximately 244,000 residents. As many as 86% originate from Mexico, with a much smaller percentage from Guatemala, India, and other countries. The average age of this population of immigrants is 36. A large percentage of residents have lived in the U.S. longer than 10 years and 43% have children under the age of 18, most of whom were born in the U.S. and are legal citizens. Marital status of this population includes 21% who are divorced, separated, or widowed and 38% who have never been married. As much as 92% of children under 18 within the families are enrolled in school. The educational attainment of the majority of adults within this population have obtained less than a high school diploma, with 24% graduating from high school or obtaining a GED. A small percentage have some college and even less have a Bachelor’s or professional degree. More than half of the population report they do not speak English well, or not at all. A large percentage of residents are uninsured and struggle financially, though 55% are employed in industries such as arts and entertainment, food services, recreation, accommodations, retail trade, construction, waste management, administration, management, and professional positions. Close to half of the population lives at or below the poverty level, with the remaining slightly above.

Community – An area of North Phoenix, Arizona approximately one square mile is a condensed home to a large number of the undocumented immigrant population from Mexico. Many families with children live in this area and one of the district’s schools caters to the needs of this population with services outside of education embedded into the local elementary school. There is a food pantry, clothing closet, access to medical services, child care at the attached Boys and Girls Club, and a number of other programs geared toward the parents and children of the community. School social workers keep a close watch on the changing needs of the community and adjust accordingly within their educational boundaries. Some needs are not consistently covered, rather, are periodically addressed, such as immigration legal services, job skills, employment assistance, medical insurance access, domestic violence, economic assistance, and the list goes on.

As the country transitioned to a new president, new policies have been implemented and others continue to be reviewed. In the past, the police department maintained a separate role away from identifying resident status and focused on community safety. This policy is being reviewed and may include a possible change that will arm the police force with the ability to charge illegal immigrants through detention. The Sheriff’s department has had a history of workplace undocumented immigration raids to identify those in the United States illegally. When this occurs, workers can be detained, resulting in family separation, reduced income, lack of supervision for children in the case of single parents, and an overall feeling of unrest for families of undocumented residents. Children often experience feelings of fear and uncertainty, and often miss school days with the transition that occurs. Supervision is sometimes impacted, often times with the development of acting out behavior from children. When children return to school, they may have difficulty focusing, can struggle with appropriate peer relations, have more difficulty following directions from teachers and other adults, and may experience a reduction in food intake or needs for clothing and school supplies due to economic struggles of the remaining parent or care taker. The school social worker’s focus is on making sure the students have what they need to positively impact their learning. When deficits occur in learning, behavior, basic needs, safety, or supervision, the school social worker steps in to address the need.

A group of school social workers in the local school district of the North Phoenix area became aware of this trend and decided to develop a resource night opportunity for the residents in the area scheduled for 6:30-8:00 p.m. A number of local immigration advocate service organizations were contacted and committed to attending and providing advocacy information for the attendees. In addition, a panel of advocates were scheduled to discuss current issues related to immigration. Due to the large population of Spanish only speaking residents, a translator was scheduled along with earphone technology in order for residents to be able to understand and participate fully. In retrospect, the social workers realized the translator should have been for the English speaking only attendees, as there were far more Spanish only speakers. Childcare was provided. The event was publicized through flyers (both Spanish and English format) sent home with school students. Donations of food, beverages, and door prizes were secured by neighborhood Catholic and Baptist Churches and was publicized as an incentive for attendance. Attendance at the event was minimal and included approximately 20 parents in a neighborhood of approximately 800 families with English Language Learner (ELL) students.

Community Readiness:

The community recognizes the social issues and is interested in assistance in the area of immigration concerns, but also hesitant to seek help due to the threat of detention or deportation in unexpected situations. Parents who have regular contact with school social workers indicated this as their reason for not attending the event. They were concerned there may be a raid of the event since it was publicized. The heightened attention to undocumented immigrants in the United States has local residents concerned for their family’s well-being. Many families have experienced the threat of detention or deportation through other relatives or neighbors’ deportations. One social worker in the local school is Hispanic and speaks fluent Spanish. Working individually with parents and students has been successful as she has gained the trust of many of her school’s families. However, a large number of families in the schools where the social worker is not Hispanic but speaks fluent Spanish have little trust for services or events offered in the district focused on whatever needs they have as a family.

Students who experience a parent’s detention or deportation due to undocumented immigration status experience a number of consequences such as drug and alcohol use, gang initiations, sex trafficking, and participation in petty crimes. Families of this neighborhood recognize the difficulties their children experience and would like to work together with the immigration advocates, churches, and school personnel to minimize the negative experiences of their children, though they often have difficulty trusting the process. The stakeholders ready to help include school personnel, immigration advocates, churches, law enforcement, small business owners, and leaders in the Hispanic community.

The existing program aimed at assisting the Hispanic immigrant members of the community is inconsistently dispersed throughout the school district and does not have an overall program name identifying it. The personnel do not have specific training but they do have college degrees. The program does not have a mission statement, set goals, or an evaluation methodology in place. Right now, the program does not utilize community stakeholders. A few schools utilizing the program have specific services, but many of the families live outside those schools and are referred to the services where they don’t know anyone. One of the largest barriers to services being utilized is the lack of trust by immigrant families and the fear of deportation for those with unauthorized status. Services needed include some of life’s basic needs when detention or deportation does occur. A consistent, rounded program with an umbrella name is needed to meet the basic needs of the immigrant population in the school district.