Field Notes from the Border: Lessons Learned in Conducting Mental Health Research Involving Newly Arrived Latinx Immigrants as Study Participants

In this paper, we describe a research protocol for surveying and interviewing Latinx immigrants recently arrived at the US southern border, and we raise important and unique issues that need to be considered with this population. The main objective is to share experiences, challenges, opportunities, and essential considerations (which we call lessons learned) that researchers should take into account when working with this vulnerable study population. The six lessons learned focus on: (1) fostering relationships with community partners; (2) participant consent and compensation; (3) linguistic and cultural fluency of researchers; (4) adapting data collection procedures to the environment and conditions; (5) establishing trust with participants and being trustworthy; and (6) addressing the ethical considerations of research with immigrant populations and the positionality of researchers. This paper provides a unique perspective of working with a vulnerable population that is in transit, often coming from circumstances of danger and risk to their lives, who are now headed towards new and uncertain experiences that may include disadvantage, exclusion or other risks. The lessons learned from the field inform best practices for working with recently arrived Latinx immigrants, with implications for public health research that may extend to other immigrant populations.