The ALAS project successfully conducted COVID-19 testing for 722 asylum seekers and completed baseline surveys with 546 participants, in close collaboration with Community Health Workers (CHWs) and Case Managers (CMs) who serve these populations. Building on this experience, the following recommendations outline best practices for conducting community-based participatory research (CBPR) with immigrant-serving communities.
CBPR depends on reciprocal, long-term relationships grounded in respect and shared goals.
Shadow a CHW or CM for a day to understand their daily work, community context, and the barriers their clients face.
Recognize the disconnection between the expertise of CHWs and CMs as “boots-on-the-ground” and research perspectives. Listen to their lived experiences before proposing project design, surveys, and interventions.
When initiating research partnerships, contact program coordinators, supervisors, or leadership before reaching out to individual CHWs or CMs. This approach ensures respect for organizational processes, promotes transparency, and supports equitable collaboration.
Be explicit about how the project benefits the communities they serve. Share findings in accessible formats (e.g., website, short summaries, or translated briefs) and ensure the results are returned to the community in ways that strengthen local practice and capacity.
Working with asylum seekers, refugees, and immigrants requires sensitivity to trauma, legal precarity, and mistrust of systems.
Emphasize confidentiality and clarify what personal information will or will not be disclosed to authorities or other state/federal entities, if any.
Avoid using institutional logos or publicly advertising your research. These could raise fear or suspicion. Instead, work through CHW and CM networks and community-based introductions to build trust and ensure participants feel safe.
Hold meetings or data collection sessions in familiar, comfortable, and neutral spaces (e.g., community centers or trusted partner sites) rather than public or institutional buildings.
Short and simple surveys are preferred to interviews or observations in these settings. Only use voice or video recording when absolutely necessary. Clearly explain how recordings and data will be stored, who will have access, and how privacy will be maintained.
CHWs and CMs are trusted, frontline members of the communities researchers aim to reach. Their involvement is essential for ensuring that research is culturally responsive, ethical, and relevant.
Involve them from the earliest stages of research, including project design, recruitment, data collection, and dissemination. Their insights help ensure that research questions, methods, and tools are grounded in community realities.
Recognize that CHWs and CMs bring valuable skills in data collection. Provide opportunities for them to complete research certifications (e.g., CITI training), train to lead or assist with surveys and interviews, and co-facilitate focus group discussions. Their leadership can enhance both trust and accuracy in data collection.
CHWs’ and CMs’ titles, responsibilities, and competencies vary by organization and state. CHWs may serve as promotoras, navigators, or community liaisons, while CMs may have background in social work, public health, or refugee resettlement. Researchers should take time to understand how their roles differ and complement each other.
CHWs often focus on outreach, education, and advocacy, while CMs coordinate services and manage case-specific needs.
When possible, involve both CHWs and CMs in co-learning and shared reflection. Their distinct perspectives (community-based and systems-based) can improve research design and enhance coordination of care for mobile and vulnerable clients.
CHWs and CMs should not be placed in positions where they are asked to give legal advice or assurances about immigration outcomes. Researchers should ensure participants are referred to qualified legal professionals.
Participants may meet you without basic needs met, such as being hungry, tired, or lacking access to food, water, hygiene, or rest, and may be unaware of the stress or trauma they are experiencing.
Many of these people face complex, unmet needs beyond the scope of a single research project. Be ready to connect participants to trusted providers and community resources for essentials (e.g., meals, medical care, clean clothes, legal aid, or temporary shelter).
Be extra mindful that some individuals may be hesitant to share personal information because of public charge policies, immigration enforcement, or past negative experiences with institutions. Approach every interaction with sensitivity, transparency, and reassurance about confidentiality.
Communities of refugees, asylum seekers, and new immigrants are diverse in language, culture, and literacy levels. Use clear and simple language, provide translated materials, and include visuals or graphics to support understanding, especially for clients with limited literacy.
Many participants may be dealing with trauma, migration-related stress, language barriers, or cultural adjustment challenges. Incorporate adequate time within the project to build trust and rapport, allow flexibility in participation, and emphasize confidentiality at every step. Creating safe, respectful, and compassionate spaces is essential to meaningful engagement.
In short, conducting CBPR with CHWs, CMs, and immigrant-serving communities requires humility, trust-building, and shared purpose. Researchers must recognize both CHWs and CMs as co-creators of knowledge, not intermediaries, and prioritize the dignity, safety, and voices of refugees, asylum seekers, and new immigrants throughout every stage of the research process.