Interviewing Undocumented Immigrants: Methodological Reflections Based on Fieldwork in Mexico and the U. S.

Abstract

This article discusses data collection methods and basic issues of research strategy in field studies of unapprehended illegal immigrants living in the United States. It suggests ways to increase the reliability and validity of interview responses. Necessary modifications in format and style of interviews are described. An annotated bibiliography of recent field studies of undocumented immigrants is provided.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Arias

Jr. , 1981 “Undocumented Mexicans: A Study in the Social Psychology of Clandestine Migration to the United States”. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of California, San Diego.

Arizpe

(Forth-coming) “The Rural Exodus in Mexico and Mexican Migration to the United States”. in The Border that Joins, Vol. I. Edited by Brown

P.G.

and Shue

Totowa, N.J.: Rowman and Littlefield, Maryland Studies in Public Philosophy.

Avante Systems 1978 “A Survey of the Undocumented Population in Two Texas Border Areas” Unpublished report, Sept. San Antonio, Texas: Avante Systems, Inc. and Cultural Research Associates.

Baca

and Bryan

1980 “Citizenship Aspirations and Residency Rights Preference: The Mexican Undocumented Worker in the Binational Community”. Unpublished report. Compton, Calif.: SEPAOPTION, Inc.

Browning

H.L.

1981 “Small (scale) is Beautiful: Notes on Survival Strategies for Sociology Latin Americanists”. Paper presented at the Latin American Studies Association Conference on “Trends and Priorities for Research on Latin America in the 1980s”, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, D.C. (Working Papers Series).

Browning

H.L.

, Rodriguez

N.P.

and Núñez

R.T.

1979 “Work and Community Absorption of Mexican Ilegales”. Research proposal to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Unpublished, Oct.

Carlos

M.L.

1979 “The Mexican American Family as an Emotional Support System”, Human Organization, 38(2).

Community Research Associates 1980 “Undocumented Immigrants: Their Impact on the County of San Diego”, San Diego, Calif.: Community Research Associates. Unpublished report, May.

Cornelius

W.A.

1982 Mexican and Caribbean Migration to the United States: The State of Current Knowledge and Priorities for Future Research. Monographs in U.S.-Mexican Studies, No. 1. La Jolla, Calif.: Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, University of California, San Diego.

10.

Cornelius

W.A.

1981 “The Future of Mexican Immigrants in California: A New Perspective for Public Policy”, Working Papers in U.S.-Mexican Studies, No. 6. La Jolla, Calif.: Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, University of California, San Diego.

11.

Cornelius

W.A.

, Chavez

L.R.

and Castro

J.G.

1982 “Mexican Immigrants and Southern California: A Summary of Current Knowledge”, Working Papers in U.S.-Mexican Studies, No. 36. La Jolla, Calif.: Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, University of California, San Diego.

12.

Cornelius

W.A.

, Solano

R.V.

, , 1982 “Operation Jobs: A Study of Short and Medium-Term Outcomes”. Field research project, Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, University of California, San Diego.

13.

Cornelius

W.A.

, Chavez

L.R.

and Jones

O.W.

(In progress) “Local-Level Impacts of Mexican Immigration, with Special Reference to Health Care and Labor Market Effects”. Field research project, Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, University of California, San Diego.

14.

Dagodag

W.T.

1975 “Source Regions and Composition of Illegal Mexican Immigration to California”, International Migration Review, 9(4):499–511.

15.

Dinerman

I.R.

1982 Migrants and Stay-at-Homes: A Comparative Study of Rural Migration from Michoacan, Mexico. Monographs in U.S.-Mexican Studies, No. 5. La Jolla, Calif.: Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, University of California, San Diego.

16.

Dinerman

I.R.

1978 “Patterns of Adaptation Among Households of U.S.-Bound Migration from Michoacan, Mexico”, International Migration Review, 12(4):485–501.

17.

Fuchs

L.H.

1979 “Research Plan”. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy. Unpublished memorandum, Oct. 9.

18.

Garcia

V.Q.

1982 Undocumented Mexicans in Two Los Angeles Communities: A Social and Economic Profile. Monographs in U.S.-Mexican Studies, No. 4. La Jolla, Calif.: Program in U.S. Mexican Studies, University of California, San Diego.

19.

García y Griego

1980 El volumen de la migración de mexicanos no documentados a los Estados Unidos: Nuevas hipótesis. CENIET Studies, No. 4; distributed for the Centro Nacional de Informatión y Estadísticas del Trabajo, México, D.F. La Jolla, Calif.: Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, University of California, San Diego.

20.

Goldstein

and Goldstein

1981 “The Use of the Multiplicity Survey to Identify Migrants”, Demography, 18(1):67–83.

21.

Goodman

L.A.

1961 “Snowball Sampling”, Annals of Mathematical Statistics, 32:148–170.

22.

Heer

D.M.

1981 “The Socioeconomic Status of Recent Mothers of Mexican Origin in Los Angeles County: A Comparison of Undocumented Migrants, Legal Migrants, and Native Citizens”. Paper presented at the meeting of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population, Manila, the Philippines. Dec.

23.

Maram

S.L.

with Long

and Berg

1980 Hispanic Workers in the Garment and Restaurant Industries in Los Angeles County. Working Papers in U.S.-Mexican Studies, No. 12. La Jolla, Calif: Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, University of California, San Diego.

24.

Mines

1981 Developing a Community Tradition of Migration: A Field Study in Rural Zacatecas, Mexico, and California Settlement Areas. Monographs in U.S.-Mexican Studies, No. 3. La Jolla, Calif. Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, University of California, San Diego.

25.

Mines

and Kearny

1982 “Tulare County Farmworkers Health Needs Assessment Project: Final Report”. Unpublished paper, La Jolla, Calif. Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, University of California, San Diego.

26.

North

D.S.

and Houstoun

1976 “The Characteristics and Role of Illegal Aliens in the U.S. Labor Market: An Exploratory Study”. Report prepared for the Employment and Training Administration, U.S. Dept. of Labor, Contract #20-11-74-21. Washington, D.C.: Linton & Co., Inc.

27.

Portes

1979 “Illegal Immigration and the International System: Lessons from Recent Legal Mexican Immigrants to the United States”, Social Problems, 26(4):425–438.

28.

Portes

and Walton

1981 Labor Class, and the International System. New York. Academic Press.

29.

Portes

, Parker

R.N.

and Cobas

J.A.

1980 “Assimilation or Consciousness: Perceptions of U.S. Society Among Recent Latin American Immigrants”, Social Forces, 59(1): 200–224.

30.

Ramírez

D.M.

1979 “Legal Residents and Naturalization: A Pilot Study”. Report prepared for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Davis, Calif.: University of California, Davis. Oct.

31.

Reichert

J.S.

1981 “The Migrant Syndrome: Seasonal U.S. Wage Labor and Rural Development in Central Mexico”, Human Organization, 40(1):56–66.

32.

Samora

1971 Los Mojados: The Wetback Story. Notre Dame, Ind: University of Notre Dame Press.

33.

Select Commission 1981 U.S. Immigration Policy and the National Interest: Appendix D to the Staff Report of the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy: Papers on Legal Immigration to the United States. Washington, D.C.: Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy. April.

34.

Southwest Border Regional Commission 1978 “Border Area Development Study: Profile of Undocumented Migration to the California Border Region”. Final report prepared under E.D.A. Grant #99-06-09588. Sacramento, Calif.: Southwest Border Regional Commission, Office of the Lieutenant Governor, State of California. Dec.

35.

Stuart

and Kearney

1981 “Causes and Effects of Agricultural Labor Migration from the Mixteca of Oaxaca to California”, Working Papers in U.S.-Mexican Studies, No. 28, La Jolla, Calif: Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, University of California, San Diego.

36.

Tienda

1980 “Familism and Structural Assimilation of Mexican Immigration in the United States”, International Migration Review, 14(3):383–408.

37.

Villalpando

M.V.

, 1977 “A Study of the Socioeconomic Impact of Illegal Aliens on the County of San Diego”. Report prepared by the Human Resources Agency, County of San Diego, California. Jan.

38.

Wiessler

1978

“Illegal Alien Survey Shelved—Has Already Cost $70,000’,’

Washington Post, Aug. 24.

39.

Zazueta

C.H.

1980 “Mexican Workers in the United States: Some Initial Results and Methodological Considerations of the National Household Survey of Emigration (ENEFNEU)”. Paper prepared for the Working Group on Mexican Migrants and U.S. Responsibility, Center for Philosophy and Public Policy, University of Maryland, March.

40.

Zazueta

C.H.

and Mercado

1980 “El mercado de trabajo norteamericano y los trabajadores mexicanos”. Paper presented at the Mexico – United States Seminar on Undocumented Migration, Centro de E studios Económicos y Sociales del Tarcer Mundo, Mexico D.F., Sept.