Advisory Committee Chair
Harriet E Amos Doss
Advisory Committee Members
Robert G Corley
Colin J Davis
Pamela S King
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
2016
Degree Name by School
Master of Arts (MA) College of Arts and Sciences
Abstract
Starting in the late 1990s, Latin American immigrants began settling in great numbers in non-traditional immigration states in the Deep South. Birmingham, Alabama, one of the large cities in the region, rapidly experienced a staggering growth in its Latin American immigrant population, which created numerous difficulties with access to services and intercommunity relations. The current study looks at these difficulties and the institutional framework that was established to address them and support the settlement process of incoming immigrants in the city. The study analyses the most pressing issues that needed to be addressed in five areas – healthcare, language and education, community relations, law and order, and economy – and the responses provided by both governmental and non-governmental institutions. Birmingham’s example shows that governmental institutions were slow to respond to the needs of incoming immigrants, and non-governmental institutions played a very important role as service providers, mediators, and advocates for incoming Latin American immigrants.
Recommended Citation
Bontcheva-Loyaga, Nadejda, "Latin American Immigration to the Deep South: Community Responses in Birmingham Metro Area, AL (1995-2010)" (2016). All ETDs from UAB. 1209.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/1209