Executive Summary
This study used data gathered between 2015 and 2021 on the annual California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) to examine the demographic, socioeconomic, and health characteristics of Latinx LGBT immigrants. We focus on non-citizens who do not have permanent resident status (“Green Cards”) because they are a group at heightened vulnerability to low socioeconomic status and poor health. Although some non-citizens without Green Cards are legally authorized to be in the country, an estimated 85% are “undocumented.” Further, 85.9% of all undocumented immigrants in California are Latinx. Accordingly, analysis of data about Latinx immigrants without Green Cards in California provides considerable insight into the undocumented immigrant population more broadly in the state.
We estimate that there are 211,000 Latinx LGBT immigrants in California. This includes an estimated 68,800 Latinx LGBT immigrants without Green Cards. While similar in many ways to Latinx LGBT people with Green Cards, Latinx LGBT immigrants in California who did not have Green Cards were older, had less education and fewer economic resources, and were more likely to be renters, uninsured, and report no regular source of health care when compared to U.S.-born Latinx LGBT people.
Latinx LGBT immigrants who did not have Green Cards shared some similarities with Latinx non-LGBT immigrants who did not have Green Cards. However, they were less likely to be married or raising children and more likely to be experiencing psychological distress compared to their non-LGBT peers.
Key Findings
Latinx LGBT Immigrants Without Green Cards
- Half of Latinx LGBT immigrants without Green Cards, both cisgender and transgender, identified as bisexual (49.3%), 48.2% as gay/lesbian, and 2.5% identified as heterosexual and were also transgender.
- In total, 5.0% of Latinx LGBT immigrants without Green Cards were transgender.
- Like other Latinx people in the state, many Latinx LGBT immigrants without Green Cards lived in Southern California, including 32.1% in Los Angeles and 34.4% outside of Los Angeles.
- Two-thirds (66.0%) of Latinx LGBT immigrants without Green Cards were born in Mexico, 24.3% were from Central America, and the remainder were from other parts of Latin America (8.5%) or elsewhere (1.2%).
- Three-quarters (75.9%) of Latinx LGBT immigrants without Green Cards had lived in the U.S. for more than 10 years, and 42.2% had spent over half of their lives in the U.S.
- Nearly a third (32.4%) of Latinx LGBT immigrants without Green Cards worked in service occupations. Almost one in five (18.9%) were self-employed, and 5.5% worked at family businesses or farms without pay.
- Although most (93.2%) Latinx LGBT immigrants without Green Cards were in the workforce, nearly two-thirds (64.1%) were living at less than 200% of the federal poverty level.
- More than half (56.3%) of Latinx LGBT immigrants without Green Cards living at less than 200% of the federal poverty level were food insecure.
Latinx LGBT Immigrants Without Green Cards Compared to U.S.-Born Latinx LGBT People
- Latinx LGBT immigrants without Green Cards were older than their U.S.-born counterparts. About half (49.4%) of Latinx immigrants without Green Cards were under the age of 35 compared to three-quarters (75.5%) of U.S.-born Latinx LGBT people.
- More than twice as many Latinx LGBT immigrants without Green Cards had a high school degree or less as their U.S.-born counterparts (72.7% v. 34.2%, respectively).
- Latinx LGBT immigrants without Green Cards had fewer economic resources than their U.S.- born counterparts. Nearly two-thirds (64.1%) of Latinx LGBT immigrants without Green Cards were living at less than 200% of the federal poverty level compared to 42.7% of U.S.-born Latinx LGBT people.
- A majority (76.5%) of Latinx LGBT immigrants without Green Cards were renters (as opposed to homeowners). Renting was less common among U.S.-born Latinx LGBT people (54.3%) despite the younger age composition of this group.
- More than four out of 10 (43.5%) Latinx LGBT immigrants without Green Cards had no health insurance, far more than observed among their U.S.-born LGBT peers (10.7%).
- More Latinx LGBT non-citizens without Green Cards had no usual source of health care (45.6%) compared to 21.2% of U.S.-born Latinx LGBT citizens.
Latinx LGBT Immigrants Without Green Cards Compared to Latinx Non-LGBT People Without Green Cards
- Fewer Latinx LGBT immigrants without Green Cards were married or living with a partner than their non-LGBT counterparts without Green Cards (41.3% and 65.6%, respectively), and fewer were raising children (24.0% and 59.6%, respectively).
- Among Latinx immigrants without Green Cards, more LGBT than non-LGBT people indicated that they spoke English well or very well (49.7% vs. 33.3%, respectively). However, half reported that they do not speak English well or at all.
- Three times as many Latinx LGBT immigrants without Green Cards were experiencing psychological distress as their non-LGBT peers without Green Cards (15.3% vs. 5.0%, respectively).
- Among Latinx immigrants without Green Cards, many LGBT and non-LGBT people reported no usual source of health care (45.6% and 38.4%, respectively).
These findings indicate a need to address the socioeconomic and health challenges faced by Latinx LGBT immigrants without Green Cards, including poverty, food insecurity, barriers to health care, and higher rates of psychological distress. Policy and program interventions to explore include those facilitating access to higher education and English language classes and state efforts to extend Medi- Cal and food support programs to all residents, regardless of citizenship status. Programs that serve Latinx immigrants should consider that while some Latinx LGBT immigrants are married or partnered, some are not and may have less social support. Similarly, organizations that primarily serve U.S.-born LGBT people should ensure that programs and services meet the needs of Latinx LGBT immigrants who are older, have fewer economic resources, greater vulnerability to housing instability because they are more likely to rent (as opposed to own), greater barriers to accessing health care, and less fluency in English. Finally, research on topics not assessed on the California Health Interview Survey, including access to legal services, stress, and experiences of discrimination, is needed.