Mexican Immigrant Family Life in a Pre-Emerging Southern Gateway Community

This report provides a rich picture of the lives of Mexican-American couples as they navigate parenting and family life in pre-emerging immigrant communities. Specifically, we share insights gleaned from the UNIDOS study of 120 couples with young children living in newly-formed immigrant communities across the state of North Carolina at the start of the Great Recession. Findings are consistent with other known challenges facing immigrants to the United States. However, this research sheds additional light on the pressures that may impact Latino families in preemerging communities, why families raising children in these contexts may be facing risks associated with their environments, and how policies and programs might capitalize on families’ strengths.