Making a Way: How Undocumented Latina Women Cope with Immigration-Related Stress

Background and Purpose:

The U.S. has a long history of anti-immigrant policies that negatively affect undocumented immigrants. Research demonstrates that immigration-related stress, including pervasive uncertainty, fear of deportation, and family separation, negatively impacts the mental health of immigrants. However, more research is needed to better understand how undocumented immigrants cope with immigration-related stress, particularly during times of intensified enforcement and anti-immigrant sentiment. Coping strategies are essential tools that support adaptation, problem-solving, and emotional regulation when dealing with stress. This paper expands understandings of coping strategies available to undocumented Latinas by identifying the vehicles that support their ability to cope despite systemic failure.

Methods:

The study is a community-based participatory research conducted with the Southwest Suburban Immigrant Project (SSIP), a non-profit serving immigrants in the Chicago suburbs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 60 undocumented Latina women at two time points, coinciding with a pre- and post-Trump presidency. All 60 women participated in the first interview, held between July 2023 and December 2024, and half participated in a second interview, occurring between July and March 2025. Participants were recruited using personal and organizational networks, community outreach, and through a snowball approach. Most participants were Mexican. The average age was 46, and they had lived in the U.S. for an average of 23 years. The interview topics covered their migration experiences, family formation, experiences in the suburbs, and their health and mental health. Interviews were coded in ATLAS.ti. The codes attended to pre-determined areas of interest while remaining open to emerging insights. Analytic memos were used throughout to document the data collection, coding, and analysis process.

Results:

Undocumented Latinas described experiencing emotional distress due to immigration-related stressors, including family vulnerability, exploitative work conditions, lack of health insurance, discrimination, and language barriers. The individual coping strategies reported by participants ranged from general care for their wellness (e.g., healthy food, health information) to positive thinking, reframing, acceptance, and maintaining hope for their future aspirations. Women also drew on their cultural values and practices (e.g., family unity and faith) and identified key sources of support in family members, the church (e.g., instrumental resources, programs, opportunities to build skills), and organizations (e.g., schools or community-based organizations). Highlighting the need for connection to cope with distress, the church and community organizations emerged as vital vehicles for support and coping, functioning as a safety net for undocumented Latinas when government institutions failed them. Despite the pervasive uncertainty and stress created by exclusionary immigration laws, the experiences of Latina women reflected resistance, resilience, and hope for their futures, especially their children's futures.

Conclusion and Implications:

This study underscores the systemic failures that create emotional distress for undocumented Latinas. Amid these failures, undocumented women lean on individual coping strategies and access support within key institutions. It is important to understand the coping strategies used by undocumented Latina women. Understanding these strategies can shed light on how they access support, maintain hope, resist exclusionary laws, and care for themselves and their families.