Health and Workplace Safety in Southern Migrant Labor
Health Status and Access to Health Care of Documented and Undocumented Immigrant Latino Women
This table, titled Perceived Health Status, Access to Care, and Diseases and Conditions, presents data on health disparities between documented and undocumented women in Fort Worth, Texas. The data shown in this table is part of a broader study on immigrant health conducted in 2002 by the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth. The data’s intended audience is other academics who can then distribute the results to the general public. The researchers recruited 194 women (documented and undocumented) from various locations, including churches, laundromats, flea markets, and health departments. The study focused on Spanish-speaking immigrants and gathered responses through face-to-face interviews using structured surveys adapted from national health studies. Texas has long been a major hub for immigration, and despite Texas’s economic power, in 2005, it had one of the highest percentages of uninsured residents in the country. The survey was used to glean the data to make this graph geared to assess participants’ migration status, health conditions, and access to healthcare services. This sheds light on the barriers faced by undocumented women in accessing medical care. The primary source table has compelling empirical evidence that undocumented migrant women in Fort Worth face significant healthcare access barriers. The data reveal that these women have a lower perceived health status, far less insurance coverage (only 10 of the interviewed undocumented women had insurance in some form), and limited access to primary care (56.6% vs 32.9%). This indicates that immigration status directly impacts health outcomes, which will set the stage to investigate underlying social, political, and economic causes for this gap. Texas’s high uninsured rates emphasize the systemic factors that limit access to essential healthcare services for undocumented populations. Drawing a historical parallel with the Jim Crow era, when African American communities were systematically denied quality healthcare, the data in the table highlights that exclusionary practices have deep roots and lasting impacts. I will further investigate this topic through my secondary sources. This primary source can be useful for advocates, politicians, and physicians who are looking for ways to identify inequities in healthcare and work towards solutions. Future questions could explore how these disparities evolve over time and how state and federal policies influence healthcare outcomes for undocumented immigrants across the U.S. South.
Marshall, Khiya J, Ximena Urrutia-Rojas, Francisco Soto Mas, and Claudia Coggin. 2005. “Health Status and Access to Health Care of Documented and Undocumented Immigrant Latino Women.” Health Care for Women International 26 (10): 916–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/07399330500301846.
Warren, Henry W. Reminiscences of a Mississippi carpet-bagger. Worcester, Massachusetts, Massachusetts: The Davis Press, 1914, 9.
Hillbilly Highway Mapping Project Citations
These are all of the citations and footnotes used for the Hillbilly Highway Project
Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
Introduced by Senator Simpson (R-WY) and signed into law by President Reagan, the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 made it unlawful for people and companies in the United States to hire undocumented people and/or continue to employ them despite knowing their status. The act also stated that it is a fair hiring practice for employers to hire US citizens and/or documented residents over equally qualified undocumented workers. The most noteworthy piece of the legislation is under Title II of the Act: any undocumented person can apply to gain temporary status and then permanent status as long as they can prove that they had been living in the US since Jan 1, 1982 without having commited any felonies nor at least three misdemeanors and prove that they understand some English and have some knowledge of American history and government. Before the act passed, some undocumented Mexican immigrants would move in and out of the US in cycles but because of the Act's further militarization of the border, crossing the border became more expensive and more dangerous, so settling in the US and sending remittances home became the norm. The number of undocumented immigrants coming from Central America also increased in the 1980s following US intervention in the military conflicts in Central America. Some of these refugees played a part in advocating for the provisions under Title II in the Act that gave undocumented immigrants the path to change their status. While the Act did help 2.7 million undocumented people gain residency - including thousands in the South - it did not help keep people from moving to the United States. At the time of the bill's signing, there was an estimated 3.2 million undocumented people living in the United States but by 2000, that number had grown to about 8.5 million undocumented people. See: Gonzales, Alfonso. Reform without Justice : Latino Migrant Politics and the Homeland Security State. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014. Pg 53-55. Warde, Bryan. "Undocumented Immigration." In INSIDE U.S. IMMIGRATION POLICY the Historical and Social Forces Shaping Contemporary Debates. New York: ROUTLEDGE, 2025. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003375012.
Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), page one. Congress.gov. "S.1200 - 99th Congress (1985-1986): Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986." November 6, 1986. https://www.congress.gov/bill/99th-congress/senate-bill/1200.
In The Shadows: The Harsh Reality of Migrant Workers in the US
This source is an oral history interview oral history interview with Cynthia Bredenberg, a Spanish teacher at Jordan-Matthews High School in Siler City, North Carolina. Conducted by Lindley Andrew, an undergraduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, this interview explores Bredenberg’s fifteen-year experience working in a predominantly Latinx school. The conversation highlights demographic shifts, socio-economic challenges, and the struggles faced by her immigrant students, including financial instability, housing insecurity, and limited access to higher education. Navigating the New Latino South The interview was created as part of a broader academic project to document migration experiences in North Carolina. It provides valuable insights into the intersection of migration, education, and community support in the U.S. South. Bredenberg also describes the role of community organizations, such as El Vínculo Hispano, in supporting migrant families and the grassroots efforts educators take to help their students. These grassroots efforts include personal mentorship from teachers, connecting students with scholarships and local organizations, and direct advocacy for bilingual education programs. The interview serves as a firsthand account of how migration policies, public perceptions, and economic conditions shape educational experiences. It was primarily created for an academic audience, including researchers, educators, and policymakers interested in understanding Latinx migration experiences in the South. Personal Narratives & Historical Parallels This primary source is valuable for understanding the educational challenges faced by Latinx immigrant students in the U.S. South. It provides qualitative evidence of how migration impacts students' educational trajectories, mental health, and access to resources. The firsthand perspective of an educator working directly with immigrant students offers insights that statistical reports often lack. The challenges faced by Latinx students today mirror past migration waves in the U.S. The early 20th-century experiences of Eastern European and Italian immigrants, who faced language barriers and were often tracked into low-wage jobs, parallel Latinx students' struggles with bilingual education and limited access to higher education. Similarly, the Great Migration of African Americans saw systemic segregation and limited resources in schools, challenges that continue to impact Latinx students in new destination states. This source reinforces the argument that schools either facilitate or obstruct migrant students’ success. The interview offers concrete examples of grassroots efforts and systemic challenges, contributing to discussions on racialization, identity formation, and bilingual education policies. Future research questions may include: How do migration patterns in North Carolina compare to other southern states? What are the long-term effects of bilingual education on Latino students? How can policies better support mixed-status families? This source provides essential context for understanding migration’s impact on education in the "Migrant South." Further Readings Wainer, Andrew. The New Latino South and the Challenge to American Public Education. International Migration, Vol. 44, No. 5, 2006, pp. 129-163. DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2435.2006.00389.x. Weiner highlights how rapid Latino migration in North Carolina strained public schools, leading to segregation and resource disparities. These findings align with Bredenberg’s reflections on financial burdens and limited support systems for immigrant students. Portales, Rita, and Marco Portales. Quality Education for Latinos and Latinas: Print and Oral Skills for All Students, K-College. University of Texas Press, 2005. Additionally, Rita and Marco Portales' book, Quality Education for Latinos and Latinas, underscores systemic barriers in public schools, such as the lack of culturally competent educators and limited access to advanced coursework. Without targeted interventions like bilingual education and culturally relevant curricula, disparities in achievement will persist. Hamann, Edmund T., Stanton Wortham, and Enrique G. Murillo Jr., eds. Education in the New Latino Diaspora: Policy and the Politics of Identity. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2001. Chapters from Education in the New Latino Diaspora: Policy and the Politics of Identity further examine migration and education policies in new destination states. This book highlights schools' struggles to accommodate Latino students due to insufficient bilingual support. Hamann discusses bilingual education politics in Georgia and tensions between assimilation and dual-language programs.
Interview with Cynthia Bredenberg by Lindley Andrew, 15 April 2023, R-1013, in the Southern Oral History Program Collection #4007, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
New Roots/Nuevas Raíces, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
El Vínculo Hispano, Jordan-Matthews High School.=
This resource is made available under the terms specified by New Roots/Nuevas Raíces, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Related research includes works on Latinx migration, bilingual education, and the challenges of new immigrant destinations in the U.S. South.
Audio interview, text transcript, digital document
Siler City, North Carolina; U.S. South; Latinx Migration; Bilingual Education Policies