The Strengthening Border Families Research Project is a multi-phase, community based participatory research study being conducted in the New Mexico borderlands. Through this community-based effort, researchers aim to understand the accessibility and quality of services as well as barriers and facilitators to service receipt among immigrant families with young children in Doña Ana County, NM. On this page, you will find various publications, detailing the findings and recommendations from the various phases of the research.

Strengthening Border Families: Data Highlights from Interviews & Focus Groups with Immigrant Caregivers

Megan Finno-Velasquez and Sophia Sepp; Center on Immigration and Child Welfare (June 2023)

This report details the findings and implications from the third phase of the Strengthening Border Families study, which interviewed immigrant caregivers with young children in Doña Ana County about their experiences accessing a broad range of supportive services.

Story Map: Immigrant Inclusivity in Doña Ana County, New Mexico

Center on Immigration and Child Welfare & NMSU Center for Community Analysis (February 2023)

This interactive story map highlights the findings and recommendations from a community resource mapping project that sought to identify the supportive services available to immigrant families in Doña Ana County, NM and to assess their level of inclusivity of the unique needs of this population.

Inclusive Practice with Immigrant Families: A Guide for Service Organizations and Practitioners

Anayeli Lopez, Megan Finno-Velasquez, and Sophia Sepp; Center on Immigration and Child Welfare (December 2022)

This guide draws from the findings of the Strengthening Border Families study to provide recommendations for service organizations and practitioners on policies and practices to increase inclusivity of immigrant families and their unique needs and experiences.

CICW Strengthening Border Families Research Project

Strengthening Border Families: Frontline Practitioner Perspectives – Research Brief

Megan Finno-Velasquez, Sophia Sepp, and Vanessa Mendoza; Center on Immigration and Child Welfare (July 2022)

This brief summaries the key findings and recommendations from the second phase of the Strengthening Border Families study, which elicited the perspectives of frontline practitioners who serve immigrant families across a variety of service settings in the community about the accessibility and quality of services for  immigrant families with young children in the Doña Ana County.

Strengthening Border Families Frontline Practitioner Perspectives on Service Access for Immigrant Families with Young Children

Strengthening Border Families: Frontline Practitioner Perspectives on Service Access for Immigrant Families with Young Children in Doña Ana County, NM

Megan Finno-Velasquez, Sophia Sepp, Vanessa Mendoza, and Anayeli Lopez; Center on Immigration and Child Welfare (December 2021)

This report details the findings and recommendations from the second phase of the Strengthening Border Families study, which elicited the perspectives of frontline practitioners who serve immigrant families across a variety of service settings in the community about the accessibility and quality of services for  immigrant families with young children in the Doña Ana County.

Research Brief - Strengthening Border Families

Strengthening Border Families Research Brief – Community & Government Leader Perspectives

Sophia Sepp, Megan-Finno Velasquez, & Vanessa Mendoza; Center on Immigration and Child Welfare (July 2021)

This brief highlights the findings and recommendations of local agency leaders & government representatives from a community-based participatory research study on the accessibility and quality of community services for immigrant families with young children in Doña Ana County, New Mexico.

Strengthening Border Families Community and Policy Responses to Serving Immigrant Families with Young Children

Strengthening Border Families: Community and Policy Responses to Serving Immigrant Families with Young Children in Doña Ana County, NM

Megan Finno-Velasquez, Sophia Sepp, Anayeli Lopez, and Michelle Salazar Pérez; Center on Immigration and Child Welfare (May 2021)

This report details the results and recommendations of the first phase of a community-based participatory research project which aimed to explore the accessibility and quality of services as well as barriers and facilitators to service receipt among immigrant families with young children in the New Mexico borderlands.

Research Brief on Services for Immigrant Families with Young Children

Research Briefing on Services for Immigrant Families with Young Children in Doña Ana County

Megan-Finno Velasquez, Center on Immigration and Child Welfare; Margie McHugh, National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, Migration Policy Institute (July 2021)

This briefing details the findings from our 2020 Strengthening Border Families study, which identified barriers and facilitators to service receipt among immigrant families with young children in Doña Ana County. We also present preliminary results from a survey of frontline workers serving immigrant families across a variety of community settings. We discussed policy and practice recommendations and next steps for the local community and state of New Mexico. We were joined by guest speaker Margie McHugh from the Migration Policy Institute’s (MPI) National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, who shared new data about the population of dual language learners (DLLs) in NM and opportunities for improving equity in early childhood policies and programs for children in immigrant families. Margie’s Powerpoint slides are available below, including links to various fact sheets and data sets on DLLs referenced during the briefing.