Immigrant Integration

The Experiences of Migrant Women and Human Smuggling

by Carol Cleaveland and Vicki Kirsch, Department of Social Work, George Mason University

The news is filled with accounts of women and children from Central America arriving at the U.S. border and seeking asylum. While we are learning a great deal about their struggles once they arrive at the southern border, far less is known about their journey from Central America to the United States. Government statistics show that many women are migrating with their children, and the number of families apprehended at the border has increased in recent years. Many of these women rely on human smugglers to transport them and their children across Mexico to the U.S. border. This research revealed the reality of human smuggling from the perspective of migrant women from Central America. Their testimony and experiences can teach us about the trauma they face during migration and how it continues to impact them when they arrive in the United States.

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This version is adapted from an article that appeared in Qualitative Social Work, April 2019.

Steps to Success: Integrating Immigrant Professionals in the United States

Steps to Success: Integrating Immigrant Professionals in the United States is a report by the Institute for Immigration Research in collaboration with IMPRINT and WES Global Talent Bridge. This report details the experiences of college-educated immigrants in six U.S. cities; Boston, Detroit, Miami, Philadelphia, San Jose and Seattle.

Our first-of-its-kind study documents multiple factors that correlate with the successful integration of immigrant professionals into the U.S. workforce and our communities.

Steps to Success draws from the survey responses of more than 4,000 college-educated immigrants living in the United States, identifies factors that correlate with their successful integration into American life and offers recommendations for communities to better integrate these skilled workers, and take advantage of their many talents.

For a FREE copy of this report please Click here.