Why Immigrant Status Matters

Intersectionality framework says a person's social location is comprised of not only race, but gender, immigrant status, and age among others. An illustration of this is how the National Health Equity Atlas has asked the question-- how do major factors of social order/disorder change when you add the layer of nativity and ancestry into the mix? Numerous discussion sections of articles lament the lack of understanding the role of immigrant status, or a deeper understanding of the "Asian" groups in the United States. Using the measure of "Disconnected Youth" in the City of Fresno, the analysis shows a breakdown that reveals great differences within racial and ethnic differences. For example, among Latinos, those who are foreign born have a higher percentage of youth not in school or at work. Among the Asian/Pacific Islander groups, there is a nearly 3% difference between U.S. born and those of an immigrant background.

The question after this is to ask, why is there a difference? What factors are making it easier for U.S. born youth to find employment or stay in school, and what unique barriers to immigrant youth face? This may lead to better programming aimed at the disconnected youth population and perhaps identify the need for new resources for the immigrant born young people in the City of Fresno.