“I thought I was going to die there:” Socio-political contexts and the plight of undocumented Latinx in the COVID-19 pandemic
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, certain U.S. population groups have suffered higher rates of infection and mortality than whites, including Latinx. Public health officials blamed these outcomes on overcrowded housing and work in essential industries prior to the vaccine's availabi...
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-06-01
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Series: | SSM: Qualitative Research in Health |
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Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667321523000264 |
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author | Carol Cleaveland Myeong Lee Constance Gewa |
author_facet | Carol Cleaveland Myeong Lee Constance Gewa |
author_sort | Carol Cleaveland |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, certain U.S. population groups have suffered higher rates of infection and mortality than whites, including Latinx. Public health officials blamed these outcomes on overcrowded housing and work in essential industries prior to the vaccine's availability. We sought to illuminate the lived experience of these factors through a qualitative study of undocumented Latinx immigrant workers in the secondary economy (n = 34). This study focuses on the intersectionality of social locations for undocumented Latinx immigrants living in a relatively affluent suburb and working in the construction and service sectors prior to the pandemic. Their narratives revealed how the pandemic created financial precarity through prolonged periods of unemployment and food insecurity. Workers described worry over unpaid bills, and potentially catastrophic episodes in which they treated severe COVID-19 with home remedies. Long spells of unemployment, food insecurity, inability to pay bills and lack of access to healthcare emerged because of socio-political contexts including the nature of low-wage labor and lack of a safety net. |
first_indexed | 2024-03-13T02:09:56Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-46d7e3c1b8ac4d8890f36dab3f7e4a75 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2667-3215 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-13T02:09:56Z |
publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
publisher | Elsevier |
record_format | Article |
series | SSM: Qualitative Research in Health |
spelling | doaj.art-46d7e3c1b8ac4d8890f36dab3f7e4a752023-07-01T04:36:03ZengElsevierSSM: Qualitative Research in Health2667-32152023-06-013100242“I thought I was going to die there:” Socio-political contexts and the plight of undocumented Latinx in the COVID-19 pandemicCarol Cleaveland0Myeong Lee1Constance Gewa2George Mason University, USA; Corresponding author. 4400 University Dr, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA.George Mason University, USAFoundation for Food and Agrculture Research (FFAR), USASince the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, certain U.S. population groups have suffered higher rates of infection and mortality than whites, including Latinx. Public health officials blamed these outcomes on overcrowded housing and work in essential industries prior to the vaccine's availability. We sought to illuminate the lived experience of these factors through a qualitative study of undocumented Latinx immigrant workers in the secondary economy (n = 34). This study focuses on the intersectionality of social locations for undocumented Latinx immigrants living in a relatively affluent suburb and working in the construction and service sectors prior to the pandemic. Their narratives revealed how the pandemic created financial precarity through prolonged periods of unemployment and food insecurity. Workers described worry over unpaid bills, and potentially catastrophic episodes in which they treated severe COVID-19 with home remedies. Long spells of unemployment, food insecurity, inability to pay bills and lack of access to healthcare emerged because of socio-political contexts including the nature of low-wage labor and lack of a safety net.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667321523000264Latinx COVID-19Latinos COVID-19COVID-19 undocumented immigrants |
spellingShingle | Carol Cleaveland Myeong Lee Constance Gewa “I thought I was going to die there:” Socio-political contexts and the plight of undocumented Latinx in the COVID-19 pandemic SSM: Qualitative Research in Health Latinx COVID-19 Latinos COVID-19 COVID-19 undocumented immigrants |
title | “I thought I was going to die there:” Socio-political contexts and the plight of undocumented Latinx in the COVID-19 pandemic |
title_full | “I thought I was going to die there:” Socio-political contexts and the plight of undocumented Latinx in the COVID-19 pandemic |
title_fullStr | “I thought I was going to die there:” Socio-political contexts and the plight of undocumented Latinx in the COVID-19 pandemic |
title_full_unstemmed | “I thought I was going to die there:” Socio-political contexts and the plight of undocumented Latinx in the COVID-19 pandemic |
title_short | “I thought I was going to die there:” Socio-political contexts and the plight of undocumented Latinx in the COVID-19 pandemic |
title_sort | i thought i was going to die there socio political contexts and the plight of undocumented latinx in the covid 19 pandemic |
topic | Latinx COVID-19 Latinos COVID-19 COVID-19 undocumented immigrants |
url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667321523000264 |
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