# Perceived Immigration Laws Impact on Hispanic Immigrants HIV Health Behavior

> **NIH NIH R01** · MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN · 2020 · $501,775

## Abstract

Hispanic immigrants bear a disproportionate burden of HIV infection in the US. Along with
disproportionate rates of HIV infection, Hispanic immigrants are affected by three important drivers of the US
HIV epidemic: disordered alcohol and drug use, intimate partner violence, and reduced rates of HIV testing.
Importantly, each of these drivers of HIV infection is or has been legally regulated. Findings from a preliminary
study suggest that immigration-related laws, Hispanic immigrants' beliefs about the immigration ramifications of
engaging in HIV health-seeking behaviors, and immigrants' concerns about the bounds of immigration
authority may deter or prevent them from utilizing important health care services and resources. To our
knowledge there has never been a direct empirical study of the influence of immigration-related laws and legal
concerns on Hispanic immigrants' sensitive HIV-related health-seeking behaviors. The proposed study will
address this knowledge gap. Law and policy scans, key informant interviews, and structured focus groups with
Hispanic immigrants living in 4 US metropolitan areas with diverse immigration law and enforcement
environments will be conducted to explore immigrants' experiences with legal barriers and to identify the
immigration-related concerns, beliefs, and misconceptions that influence their service utilization. Using the
information gained from these activities, we will develop, refine, and psychometrically evaluate a novel
measure of immigration-related concerns about health-seeking behaviors. The resulting Immigration Law
Concerns measure will be administered to a large cross-section of Hispanic immigrants. Quantitative analyses
of the survey data will identify the immigration law-related beliefs and concerns of our Hispanic immigrant
sample, and to determine whether these concerns significantly influence their utilization of, or willingness to
utilize alcohol or drug dependence, IPV, and HIV testing services. Associations between immigration
environments, legal barriers to healthcare utilization, and resident immigrants' immigration concerns about
utilizing services will also be explored. Identifying the nature of Hispanic immigrants' concerns about seeking
help for key drivers of HIV infection and the barriers erected by immigration laws and policies will provide
important evidence for intervention––at individual-, community-, and structural-levels––to reduce
disproportionate rates of HIV infection among Hispanic immigrants and to shape laws and policies that are
consistent with our National HIV Prevention Strategy.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9942275
- **Project number:** 5R01MD011573-05
- **Recipient organization:** MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN
- **Principal Investigator:** CAROL L GALLETLY
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $501,775
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-27 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9942275

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9942275, Perceived Immigration Laws Impact on Hispanic Immigrants HIV Health Behavior (5R01MD011573-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9942275. Licensed CC0.

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