An immigrant-made city, Los Angeles has served as the heart of the Immigrant Rights Movement for decades. From the 2006 immigration reform protests to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Los Angeles has rarely neglected the topic of immigration. Yet, one lived experience seldom recognized is that of mixed-status families (i.e., families that are not uniform in legal status). Approximately 1 in 5 individuals identify as either undocumented or having an undocumented family member. Acknowledging that mixed-status families vary, I focus on the mixed-status of U.S. Citizens with Undocumented Parent(s)/Guardian(s) and, consequently, how a U.S. citizen’s life is altered by living under the undocumented umbrella. In this paper, I propose the existence of the Restriction of Mobility, (Active) Family Separation, Second-Hand Undocumented Trauma, and (Un)Documented Double-Consciousness under a developing framework called the Mixed-Status Family Complex. By reviewing existing literature and reflecting on my lived experiences, the mission of the framework is to help understand the nuances of how U.S. children of undocumented immigrants experience belonging.

Between March 2020 and February 2021, the state of Baja California, Mexico, which borders the United States, registered 46,118 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with a mortality rate of 238.2 deaths per 100,000 residents. Given limited access to testing, the population prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection is unknown. The objective of this study is to estimate the seroprevalence and real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the three most populous cities of Baja California prior to scale-up of a national COVID-19 vaccination campaign. Probabilistic three-stage clustered sampling was used to conduct a population-based household survey of residents five years and older in the three cities. RT-PCR testing was performed on nasopharyngeal swabs and SARS-CoV-2 seropositivity was determined by IgG antibody testing using fingerstick blood samples. An interviewer-administered questionnaire assessed participants' knowledge, attitudes, and preventive practices regarding COVID-19. In total, 1,126 individuals (unweighted sample) were surveyed across the three cities. Overall prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection by RT-PCR was 7.8% (95% CI 5.5-11.0) and IgG seroprevalence was 21.1% (95% CI 17.4-25.2). There was no association between border crossing in the past 6 months and SARS-CoV-2 prevalence (unadjusted OR 0.40, 95%CI 0.12-1.30). While face mask use and frequent hand washing were common among participants, quarantine or social isolation at home to prevent infection was not. Regarding vaccination willingness, 30.4% (95% CI 24.4-3 7.1) of participants said they were very unlikely to get vaccinated. Given the high prevalence of active SARS-CoV-2 infection in Baja California at the end of the first year of the pandemic, combined with its low seroprevalence and the considerable proportion of vaccine hesitancy, this important area along the Mexico-United States border faces major challenges in terms of health literacy and vaccine uptake, which need to be further explored, along with its implications for border restrictions in future epidemics.