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Abstract
This article will argue that the lack of immigration content in the training of social workers, particularly macro content related to the legal, economic/labor and regulatory context, affects the ability of practitioners to serve their immigrant clients. A broad spectrum of social work theoretical discourses is suggested as a desirable background for training in the area of immigration. Reference is made to the importance of experience and the need to incorporate anti-oppressive practices in an area often fraught by a law enforcement mentality. The term immigrant is used here to refer to individuals who arrive in a country seeking work and a better quality of life, whether considered ‘legal or illegal’, ‘documented or undocumented’ by the receiving country. While there are important differences between immigrants and refugees, much of what is discussed here in relation to immigrants can also be helpful in working with and training practitioners to serve refugees.
Notes
[1] The ethnonym Hispanic/Latino was officially adopted in 1997 by the United States government. It replaced the single term ‘Hispanic’, which had been in use before by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) [9 July 1997, Federal Register Notice (Section C)].
[2] By a framework here we mean an organizing scheme that helps visualize linkages among discourses. Discourses are traditions of thought and practice around which specific understandings and content evolve.
[3] A ‘green card’ is the commonly used name given to the legal residency document in the US.
[4] Identity cards given by the state of California.
[5] ‘Colonias’ is the name given to temporary settlements of immigrants on the Mexican and sometimes US side of the border. ‘Barrios’ can be either temporary or permanent settlements.