Hispanic Immigration to South Carolina

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Hispanic Immigration to South Carolina

• By
• Yolanda Forero Villegas,
• Associate Professor of Spanish
• Russell Hamby,
• Professor of Sociology
• Shirley McClerklin-Motley,
• Assistant Professor of Social Work
• Coker College,
• Hartsville, SC 29550 USA

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I - Background

• A There is an expanding Hispanic population in
  the U.S, where now largest minority it also is
  one of the fastest growing minorities in SC
• B There is a process of change in ones identity
  as a result of international migration. Language
  use patterns may be related to identity. Ties
  between immigrants and their country of origin
  may also be related to identity change. The ways
  in which respondents choose to describe
  themselves, and their attitudes and relationships
  with people in other groups, may also be related
  to identity change.
• C New immigrants may also have special needs in
  the areas of education, employment, child care,
  transportation, housing, public assistance
  programs and financial status.

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II - Purposes

• A To assess the needs of Hispanic immigrants to
  SC in regard to education, employment, child
  care, transportation, housing, public assistance
  programs and financial status.
• B To analyze the relationships between identity
  change, language use patterns, ties to their
  country of origin and opportunities in SC for
  Hispanic immigrants.
• C To improve Spanish fluency of undergraduate
  Spanish students by putting them in interviews of
  Hispanic immigrants with a fluent interviewer.

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III - Method

• A Interviews were conducted by trained
  interviewers in face-to-face interviews. Efforts
  were made to enhance the validity of the data by
  ensuring interviewers were reliable not only in
  adhering to the questionnaire but also departing
  from it for follow-ups and probes when
  appropriate.
• B Since the population is known to be reclusive,
  questionnaires were taken for approval to the
  Hispanic Leadership council of the churches. The
  priests announced in Mass that the interviews
  were to be conducted in the church following
  Mass.
• C The samples were taken from churches which
  represented a mix of respondents who were in some
  samples more likely to be migratory laborers,
  and, in another, more likely to be permanently
  settled. Also, samples were taken in Protestant
  as well as Catholic churches.
• D Since the sample was a purposive, and not a
  probability sample, generalization of proportions
  in the sample to the population of Hispanics in
  SC is unjustified. However, the purpose of
  examining associations between identity change
  and other variables was not affected by this
  sampling procedure.

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IV - Results

• A Demographics
• 47.8 Male, 52.2 Female
• Ages ranging from 18-64
• 89.1 considered themselves better off than in
  their native country
• 87 were from Mexico
• 8.7 were from Puerto Rico
• 31.1 were from small towns in their native
  countries, 35.6 were from small cities and 20
  from large cities
• 39.1 were married and lived with their spouse
• 77.8 had a parent still living in their country
  of origin
• 80.4 had siblings still living in their country
  of origin

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IV Results (continued)

• A Demographics
• 70 speak or write with their relatives in their
  country of origin at least once a month
• 63.1 send money to relatives in their country of
  origin monthly
• 60 have visited their family in country of
  origin
• 40 have been visited by family from their
  country of origin
• 82.2 have relatives living in the US
• 40 have completed secondary school
• 26.6 have attended higher than secondary
  education
• 15.9 were in maintenance occupations
• 13.6 were in construction
• 9.1 were domestic employees

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B Identity Language

• 28.3 considered themselves Mexican American
• Also another 28.3 considered themselves American
• Respondents arrived in the USA as early as 1982
  and as recently as 6 months ago
• 97 speak Spanish in their homes
• 50 said ones place of birth was important to
  be considered a Latino
• 41.3 said it was language
• 80.4 said that the Spanish language was
  important in being considered a Latino
• 31.8 used English frequently at work and 34.1
  sometimes
• 33.3 used English frequently in public and 37.8
  sometimes
• 20.5 frequently mixed Spanish and English and
  47.7 sometimes
• 47.8 had someone translate when they had to do
  business in English

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C Educational Needs

• 55.6 said that some person in their household
  goes to school / college
• 73.9 said that they had children enrolled in
  public elementary, middle, or high schools.
• 88.2 had someone who took a bus to school in the
  household
• 84.2 said that the public school system was very
  good
• 33.3 had a student in the household who had
  problems with English of these 83.3 said the
  school had provided some help
• 83.3 said that ESL classes were helpful for
  their children

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C Housing and Economic Needs

• 55.6 said that they rented their place of stay
• 51 said they lived in a trailer park
• 31.1 said that they had four people or less
  living with them
• 34.8 said that they make 201-300 a week
• 51.1 said that as a whole family they make less
  than 10,000 a year
• 43.5 said that one adult works in the family
• 41.3 said that two adults work in the family

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D Transportation

• 68.9 used a private automobile and 26.7
  traveled with friends
• 83.7 said that everyone who drove in their
  household had a drivers license
• 89.1 said that the vehicles were insured
• 83.3 said that their vehicles were registered in
  SC
• 8.7 had one vehicle in their household, 41.3
  had two and 37 had three

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E Public Assistance

• 58.3 received Medicaid
• 4.2 received meals programs
• 4.2 received translation assistance
• 4.2 received medical services
• 4.2 received Medicare
• 25 received other public assistance
• None received financial assistance, child care
  services, housing referral, job training,
  literacy classes or legal assistance

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IV Discussion

• A Future work will examine the link among
  different types of language use patterns, such as
  the degree to which respondents use English at
  work and in public, and experiences in
  immigration process and identity change.
• B Future work will examine the relationship
  between household type, composition, education,
  housing and economic needs.
• C The study has received additional funding which
  will allow an increase in sample size.
• D In the more distant future one would wish
  for the study of links between immigrants and
  their communities of origin . The process of
  immigration probably affects not only South
  Carolina and other destinations of immigrants but
  Mexico, and other countries where immigrants to
  the US come from.

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• Thank you
• South Carolina Independent Colleges and
  Universities