The repercussions of large-scale immigration worksite raids on immigrant women: results from six rural communities

ABSTRACT We conducted a community-based study to analyze outcomes of and community responses to six large-scale immigration worksite raids by conducting semi-structured interviews with individuals who responded to these raids. Participants (n = 77) represented four primary sectors: faith, advocacy, education, and law. Analyses show that large-scale immigration worksite raids frequently prompt family reorganization and generally impact men and women differently, as men are predominantly detained while women and children are generally left behind. Findings indicate a need for these raids to be eliminated completely, although they also reinforce the importance of implementing damage-mitigation strategies such as trauma-informed social services, legal guardianship clinics to facilitate guardianship paperwork, and policy changes to address family separation.