Immigrant and Border Populations
Updated May 2005
Until recently, immigrant and border populations and HIV/AIDS were
rarely discussed for several reasons. The lack of proper documentation
and legal status remain striking obstacles for these populations
in acknowledging and treating a majority of health problems including
HIV/AIDS, STDs, and drug use. According to the Department of Labor's
National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS 2000), only 5% of the
4,199 migrant workers surveyed stated that they received employee-provided
health insurance, confirming the lack of health knowledge and attention
given to the health needs of migrant workers and immigrant/border
populations on the whole. A “silenced” population due
to undocumentation, fear of deportation, and lower levels of socioeconomic
status, the health priorities of immigrant and border populations
are often neglected, placing them at a greater risk for HIV infection.
Cultural stigmas surrounding drug use and other high-risk behaviors
brought on as a result of migration and resettlement also discourage
open dialogues about HIV prevention and transmission. Unprotected
sex with sex workers, injection drug use, and the lack of HIV education
on infection and treatment are also major risk factors for immigrant
and border populations facing the HIV/AIDS crisis. The following
organizations and publications serve as resources for understanding
and providing support to immigrant and border communities in the
United States combating HIV/AIDS today.
Organizations
Aid for AIDS: NYC Immigrant AIDS Link (NYIAL)
www.aidforaids.org/programs/nyial.php
Aid for AIDS is a non-profit organization providing case management services for HIV-positive Latin American immigrants in New York City . NYIAL, an Aid for AIDS program, provides a variety of services, including: referrals to specialty HIV/AIDS medical treatment and care, dental care, social service agencies, mental health treatment, and individual and group counseling; immigration counseling; translation.
Farmworker Justice Fund
The Farmworker Justice Fund's AIDS Project provides HIV prevention information to migrant and seasonal farmworker community members, many of whom live along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Immigration and Refugee Services of America (IRSA)
IRSA's Medical Case Management Program provides technical assistance to organizations that are resettling refugees with special health care needs. The section, Helping Refugees with Special Health Needs: Resources for Serving Refugees with HIV/AIDS, contains resource materials for people helping refugees with HIV/AIDS, as well as AIDS fact sheets in multiple languages.
U.S.-Mexico Border Health Association (USMBHA)
The mission of USMBHA is to promote the improvement of the health and living conditions of the people of the U.S.-Mexico state border. Their HIV/AIDS initiative, Promo-Vision, aims to strengthen community capacity to reduce HIV infection rates among Latinos through the Promotora Model, indigenous to Latin American and Latino communities in the United States. USMBHA strives to mobilize community awareness and collaboration and increase the social capital that is invested in AIDS prevention, gender equity, and sexual health promotion.
Publications
Life, Death, and In-Between on the U.S. Mexico Border: Asi es La Vida. Loustaunau MO, Sanchez-Bane M (Eds). Bergin & Garvey. 1999.
McBride DC, Weatherby NL, Inciardi JA, Gillespie SA. " AIDS Susceptibility in a Migrant Population: Perception and Behavior. " Subst Use Misuse. 1999 Mar-Apr 34(4-5):633-52.
Musiitwa JM. "Maquiladoras, Policymakers should Fight Migrants' HIV/AIDS." Americas Program at Interhemispheric Resource Center September 6, 2002. www.americaspolicy.org/commentary/2002/0209aids.html
Martinez-Donate AP, Hovell MF, Blumberg EJ, Zellner JA, Sipan CL, Shillington AM, Carrizosa C. "Gender Differences in Condom-Related Behaviors and Attitudes among Mexican Adolescents Living on the U.S.-Mexico Border." AIDS Educ Prev. 2004 Apr 16(2): 172-86.
"Migration and AIDS." UNAIDS and IOM (International Organization for Migration). International Migration 1998 36(4): 445-468.
Villarruel AM, Gallegos EC, Cherry CJ, Refugio de Duran M. "La Uniendo de Fronteras: Collaboration to Develop HIV Prevention Strategies for Mexican and Latino Youth." J Transcult Nurs. 2003 Jul 14(3): 193-206.