Social and Behavioral Research with Undocumented Immigrants: Navigating an IRB Committee

Abstract

When conducting human subjects research, social and behavioral researchers seeking to study current issues involving immigrants, refugees, and undocumented students must submit their research to an institutional review board (IRB). Research applications proposing to enroll these populations lie outside the scope of vulnerable populations named in the U.S. Code for Federal Regulations (45 CFR 46). Through a consideration of privacy, confidentiality, flexibility in providing protections, and case study examples, this article examines how researchers and IRBs can negotiate protecting participants who may be undocumented while supporting the advancement of research in the midst of the current, and uncertain, political climate.

Ethical Imperatives for Working With Diverse Populations in Digital Research

“…Even innocuous data collection can place some members of a diverse research population at risk. For instance, the participation of undocumented persons [ 60 ], gender-diverse [ 52 ], or pregnant persons in seemingly innocuous research may expose location, financial, or health care data in ways that place them at risk of legal or social sanction in some jurisdictions. As diversity increases, however, it may become increasingly difficult to identify these individuals through simple demographic cues nor may participants feel comfortable reporting their status to researchers.…”