DOI: 10.3886/icpsr38558.v1
title: State Pre-Emption of Municipal Laws and Policies Affecting Immigrants' Culture of Health, North Carolina, 2019-2020
title: Version 1

description: Municipal laws and policies affect the social, economic, and legal conditions of civic and private lives of immigrants in profound and fundamental ways, including both direct access to health services, as well as broader social determinants that contribute to a Culture of Health, such as employment, housing, education, transportation, and law enforcement. Some municipalities have proclaimed themselves sanctuary cities or counties or have adopted laws and policies that limit local involvement in immigration enforcement or protect immigrants to some substantial extent. However, at least nine states have laws that preempt local municipal protective laws and policies, and more than a dozen other states reportedly are considering similar pre-emption laws. The research team systematically examined the consequences of state preemption of protective municipal laws and policies on the health and well-being of a large and particularly vulnerable community in the United States: the immigrant Latinx/Hispanic community.
description: The purpose of the study is to explore the consequences of North Carolina's H.B. 318, which preempts city and county authority to limit the collection of information on immigration status and restricts use of identification issued by consulates or community organizations, on the health and well-being of Latinx/Hispanic immigrants and their communities.
description: The research team conducted focus group interviews across five North Carolina municipalities between August 2019 and February 2020, one group per municipality. Groups ranged from 9 to 12 participants, and they were held at times and locations convenient for the participants. The interview guide was developed in English and Spanish, and participants were asked to provide basic demographic data. Sessions were conducted by bilingual staff experienced in qualitative data collection, health research, and immigration policy. Two moderators were present during each group. Participants gave informed consent prior to the start of the interview. All focus groups were conducted in Spanish and audio-recoded, and lasted 106 minutes on average. Participants received a $40 gift card and a meal as compensation; child care was also provided as needed. Interview audio was transcribed verbatim and translated into English. Transcripts were analyzed using constant comparison, in which the research team members collaboratively identified and honed emerging themes. Demographic characteristics were explored with descriptive statistics.
description: Focus group questions were grouped into several themes: How participants came to live in North Carolina Participants' knowledge and perceptions of local policies or programs intended to welcome or protect immigrants, such as a) preventing law enforcement from enforcing immigration policy or working with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), b) issuing local identification cards that are not driver's licenses, or c) sanctuary cities How participants' lives have been impacted by the 2015 passage of H.B. 318 in terms of daily life, using health services, educational services, transportation, finances, physical safety, use of public spaces, participating in community events, and interactions with law enforcement Impact of other policies and events on participants' lives, including the 2016 presidential election
description: In partnership with local immigrant-serving organizations, the research team recruited focus group participants using purposive snowball sampling, social media ads, and word of mouth. The five North Carolina municipalities selected were diverse in size, represented geographically distinct locations, and (prior to H.B. 318) had adopted municipal laws and policies supporting immigrants and limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Latinx/Hispanic immigrants were selected as they comprised the largest immigrant group in the state at the time of study. The final sample includes 49 participants. The average age was 41.4 years old, about 75% were female, and the majority were from Mexico. Participants had lived in the U.S. for 15 years on average and most had at least a high school diploma/equivalent and were employed.
description: Datasets: DS1: State Pre-Emption of Municipal Laws and Policies Affecting Immigrants' Culture of Health, North Carolina, 2019-2020
description: Adults who self-identified as Latinx/Hispanic, spoke Spanish, were immigrants, and lived in the study location since at least 2014.
description: face-to-face interviewThis study is part of the Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) Qualitative Data Sharing (QDS) project.ICPSR has zipped the 6 interview transcripts into a single qualitative data package. The package is available for restricted download. Please refer to the ICPSR README documentation for more information.