Latino Immigrant Youth Living in a Nontraditional Migration City

Latino immigrant children represent the fastest-growing population in the United States and families are frequently residing outside of the traditional migration destinations. These cities lack the infrastructure and resources to provide culturally relevant services and bilingual education that supports these youth. Following a social-ecological approach that attends to the multiple contextual and cultural factors that influence individuals, this study identifies the risk and protective factors experienced by Latino immigrant youth living within a nontraditional destination area. Youth described relationship, immigration, academic, language, and familial stressors as significant risk factors. Protective factors included family networks, peer relationships, and school supports.