Crime Victimization Among Immigrant Latino Day Laborers in Post-Katrina New Orleans

Reports indicate that the criminal victimization of Latino immigrants in the United States has been increasing yet is often underreported. This may be especially true in new immigrant settlement cities that lack an established Latino community to provide support and feelings of security. New Orleans is an important context to investigate criminal victimization as it has experienced a large demographic shift in Latino composition post–Hurricane Katrina. This ethnographic study elucidates the social processes and structural factors that contribute to the criminal victimization of Latino day laborers (LDLs) in New Orleans. Three emergent social processes associated to criminal victimization are discussed, including: (1) distinct settlement process; (2) chaos of the setting and lifestyle; and (3) high-risk exposure. LDLs’ experiences of crime victimization are also explored. Findings reveal distinct structural factors associated to new immigrant settlement cities that contribute to the heightened vulnerability of LDLs.