Barriers to Health Care and their Consequences for Undocumented Mexican Migrants in Los Angeles: A Qualitative Analysis Cover Image

Barreras en el acceso a la salud y sus consecuencias en migrantes mexicanos indocumentados en Los Ángeles: Un análisis cualitativo.
Barriers to Health Care and their Consequences for Undocumented Mexican Migrants in Los Angeles: A Qualitative Analysis

Author(s): Nubia Alejandrina García Bárcenas, Dellanira Ruiz de Chávez Ramírez
Subject(s): Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Health and medicine and law, Welfare services, Migration Studies
Published by: Transnational Press London
Keywords: Migration; Undocumented; Barriers; Health; Resilience;

Summary/Abstract: This study reveals the profound barriers faced by undocumented Mexican migrants in Los Angeles in accessing healthcare services. Using a phenomenological qualitative approach, it documents experiences shaped by fear, discrimination, high costs, bureaucracy, and language barriers, all of which hinder timely and dignified medical care. These conditions not only impact their physical and mental health but also compel them to adopt survival strategies such as self-medication, traditional remedies, or forced return to Mexico. Drawing on theoretical frameworks such as those of Rawls, Penchansky, and Marmot, the study highlights how the system perpetuates structural inequalities and violates fundamental human rights. Nevertheless, migrants demonstrate remarkable resilience by building support networks and alternative forms of care. This research calls for a rethinking of health policies from an inclusive, intercultural, and social justice-oriented perspective.

  • Issue Year: 6/2025
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 151-158
  • Page Count: 8
  • Language: Spanish
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