The Center’s focus on immigration and poverty is motivated by the
important role immigrants play in the U.S. economy, and by the
Center’s location in the Central Valley of California. Each
of our other research areas: Labor Markets and Poverty, the
Intergenerational Transmission of Poverty, and the
Non-traditional Safety Net hold questions that are unique to the
immigrant experience.
See below for more information on research projects and other
resources related to this topic.
The Center’s focus on immigration and poverty is motivated by the
important role immigrants play in the U.S. economy, and by the
Center’s location in the Central Valley of California. Each of
our other research areas: Labor Markets and Poverty, the
Intergenerational Transmission of Poverty, and the Non-cash
Safety Net hold questions that are unique to the immigrant
experience.
For example, what is the connection between low skilled workers’
wages, inequality and immigration? How do access and take-up of
safety-net programs among immigrant populations differ from
native populations? How does the process of immigrant
assimilation affect intergenerational mobility?
Our Research Affiliates across a wide range of disciplines are
employing both quantitative and qualitative research strategies
to shed light on these important questions.
Exclusionary immigration policies have led to a sizeable
undocumented population that is largely barred from access to
resources in the United States, however there is little research
that looks at the impact of legal status on immigrants’
psychological wellbeing.
Over the past 45 years, the United States has experienced a
rising standard of living, with real GDP per capita more than
doubling between 1959 and 2004. In contrast, living standards
among some groups seem to have stagnated. Although a number of
studies have documented a correlation between macroeconomic
conditions and poverty, the relationship is not as simple, or as
strong, as one might think. What additional factors can explain
the starkly different trends in economic well-being that are
measured by overall GDP growth and the poverty rate?
The number of adults in the U. S. with learning problems range
from 3-15% of the general population, and of those with learning
problems, approximately 48% are out of the workforce or
unemployed (National Institute for Literacy, 1999). Identifying
and assessing these individuals is critical so that pre- and
postemployment services can be tailored to their learning needs.
To this end, Research Affiliate Gail Goodman and the Center for Public Policy
Research (CPPR) at UC Davis, is developing a short screening
measure for Spanish-speaking adult applicants for the
Welfare-to-Work program to determine those at risk for
learning problems. The entire project is expected to last
approximately three years.
These briefs are short and informative analyses of our research
relating to poverty policies. Policy Briefs deliver our
cutting-edge research directly to policy makers, researchers, and
stakeholders in an accessible format.
The USA maintains the world’s largest immigration detention system. In two recent studies, we examined the health of detained immigrants in California during detention and following release.
In the first study, we examined confinement conditions (including sleep deprivation, social isolation from family via barriers to visitation, witnessing or experiencing abuse or harassment, and barriers to needed physical and mental health care) and found that each condition increased the likelihood of deleterious physical and/or mental health conditions among study participants.
Between 2000 and 2015, as the U.S. deported unprecedented numbers of Mexican immigrants, the population of U.S.-born children living in Mexico doubled in size. In a recent study, using data collected in 2014 and 2018 by the Mexican National Survey of Demographic Dynamics (ENADID), we estimated the number of de facto deported children. De facto deported children are U.S.-born children who emigrated to Mexico from the U.S. to accompany a deported parent.
Historically, Hispanic families have used means-tested assistance less than high-poverty peers, with anti-immigrant politics and policies potentially acting as a barrier. In a recent study, we documented the participation of Hispanic children in three anti-poverty programs: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). We compared across age and parental citizenship, and also explored the correlation of participation with state immigrant-based restrictions.
