COVID-19 testing, infection, and vaccination among deported Mexican migrants: Results from a survey on the Mexico-U.S. border

BackgroundMigrants detained and held in immigration and other detention settings in the U.S. have faced increased risk of COVID-19 infection, but data on this population is scarce. This study sought to estimate rates of COVID-19 testing, infection, care seeking, and vaccination among Mexican migrants detained by U.S. immigration authorities and forcibly returned to Mexico.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional probability survey of Mexican migrants deported from the U.S. to three Mexican border cities: Tijuana, Ciudad Juárez, and Matamoros (N = 306). Deported migrants were recruited at Mexican migration facilities after being processed and cleared for departure. A two-stage sampling strategy was used. Within each city, a selection of days and shifts were selected during the operating hours of these deportation facilities. The probability of selection was proportional to the volume of migrants deported on each day of the month and during each time period. During the selected survey shifts, migrants were consecutively approached, screened for eligibility, and invited to participate in the survey. Survey measures included self-reported history of COVID-19 testing, infection, care seeking, vaccination, intentions to vaccinate, and other prevention and risk factors. Weighted data were used to estimate population-level prevalence rates. Bivariate tests and adjusted logistic regression models were estimated to identify associations between these COVID-19 outcomes and demographic, migration, and contextual factors.ResultsAbout 84.1% of migrants were tested for COVID-19, close to a third were estimated to have been infected, and, among them, 63% had sought care for COVID-19. An estimated 70.1% had been vaccinated against COVID-19 and, among those not yet vaccinated, 32.5% intended to get vaccinated. Close to half (44.3%) of respondents had experienced crowdedness while in detention in the U.S. Socio-demographic (e.g. age, education, English fluency) and migration-related (e.g. type of detention facility and time in detention) variables were significantly associated with COVID-19 testing, infection, care seeking, and vaccination history. Age, English fluency, and length of detention were positively associated with testing and vaccination history, whereas detention in an immigration center and length of time living in the U.S. were negatively related to testing, infection, and vaccination history. Survey city and survey quarter also showed adjusted associations with testing, infection, and vaccination history, reflecting potential variations in access to services across geographic regions and over time as the pandemic unfolded.ConclusionThese findings are evidence of increased risk of COVID-19 infection, insufficient access to testing and treatment, and missed opportunities for vaccination among Mexican migrants detained in and deported from the U.S. Deportee receiving stations can be leveraged to reduce disparities in testing and vaccination for deported migrants. In addition, decarceration of migrants and other measures informed by public health principles must be implemented to reduce COVID-19 risk and increase access to prevention, diagnostic, and treatment services among this underserved population

The Leaders across Borders Certification Program—A Systemic Multiple Level Observation of Groups Analysis Approach to Measure Effective Leadership: A Case Study

Leadership measurement, feedback, and development have grown in importance for the field of management. The Mexico–US Border defined as the area of land within 100 km (62.5 miles) north and south of the international boundary, shares common challenges, and requires the development of multicultural change agents who conduct binational actions toward the improvement of public health and quality of life of the population in the region. Leaders across Borders (LaB) was established in 2010 as an advanced certified binational leadership development program aimed at building the capacity of public health, health care, and other community sector leaders working to improve the health of the communities in the Mexico–US Border region. Leadership as a social interaction process requires leader skills development to achieve goals promoting unity and reducing polarization to optimize interactions between all resources, thus improving teamwork. Therefore, measurement and feedback model of general values and beliefs that guide effective behavior, not only individual personality assessments need to drive a proactive learning and action plan development to improve interactions in a team, thus optimizing leadership. Starting 2014, we administered a new model named Systemic Multiple Level Observation of Groups (SYMLOG) to measure the values and beliefs that guide the behavior of learners and team facilitators. We also evaluated the effectiveness of each team of the program and established benchmarks and action plans to optimize interactions and communication between all the learners during the 8-month program. This leads to a stronger systemic network upon graduation from the program. The SYMLOG approach measured initial and improved situations of individual leadership and team performance effectiveness because of the LaB Program training and skills development sessions. The SYMLOG also provided positive feedback to each participant, which had a direct impact on the optimization of members’ interactions of all teams, as well as developing effective leadership values and behaviors of participants. This study presents a case study of this application, the challenges in the design and implementation of the SYMLOG measurement model, and the results obtained for last three cohorts 2014–2016 of LaB Program

Institutional stakeholder perceptions of barriers to addiction treatment under Mexico's drug policy reform.

Mexico has experienced disproportionate drug-related harms given its role as a production and transit zone for illegal drugs destined primarily for the USA. In response, in 2009, the Mexican federal government passed legislation mandating pre-arrest diversion of drug-dependent individuals towards addiction treatment. However, this federal law was not specific about how the scale-up of the addiction treatment sector was to be operationalised. We therefore conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with key 'interactors' in fields affected by the federal legislation, including participants from the law enforcement, public health, addiction treatment, and governmental administration sectors. Among 19 participants from the municipal, state and federal levels were interviewed and multiple barriers to policy reform were identified. First, there is a lack of institutional expertise to implement the reform. Second, the operationalisation of the reform was not accompanied by a coordinated action plan. Third, the law is an unfunded mandate. Institutional barriers are likely hampering the implementation of Mexico's policy reform. Addressing the concerns expressed by interactors through the scale-up of services, the provision of increased training and education programmes for stakeholders and a coordinated action plan to operationalise the policy reform are likely needed to improve the policy reform process

Border Lives: Prostitute Women in Tijuana

44 pages, 1 article*Border Lives: Prostitute Women in Tijuana* (Castillo, Debra A.; Gomez, Maria Gudelia Rangel; Delgado, Bonnie) 44 page

Ventanillas de Salud: A Collaborative and Binational Health Access and Preventive Care Program

While individuals of Mexican origin are the largest immigrant group living in the U.S., this population is also the highest uninsured. Health disparities related to access to health care, among other social determinants, continue to be a challenge for this population. The government of Mexico, in an effort to address these disparities and improve the quality of life of citizens living abroad, has partnered with governmental and non-governmental health-care organizations in the U.S. by developing and implementing an initiative known as Ventanillas de Salud-Health Windows-(VDS). The VDS is located throughout the Mexican Consular network and aim to increase access to health care and health literacy, provide health screenings, and promote healthy lifestyle choices among low-income and immigrant Mexican populations in the U.S.Open Access Journal.This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]