This article explores how experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) combined with immigration-related stress shaped pregnancy and postnatal experiences among two immigrant women in the U.S.-Mexico border region of El Paso, TX. Enactment of U.S. immigration policies was changing rapidly during the period of data collection (2018–2019), generating a heightened sense of immigration-related insecurities for research participants. This context brought attention to how immigration law can exacerbate the potential for adverse health outcomes for pregnant and postnatal women caught in abusive relationships. This article presents the case studies of two women, Sara and Sofi, whose experiences reflected broader patterns documented in a larger qualitative study of the emotional experience of pregnancy among 35 first- and second-generation immigrant women in the U.S.-Mexico border region. Both women’s narratives highlight the ways U.S. immigration laws led to a sense of entrapment in abusive relationships during their pregnancies, which put them at heightened vulnerability. Further, the stress they experienced had the potential to lead to embodied health vulnerabilities. The case studies presented illustrate the ways the law can fuel processes that contribute to health risks, highlighting how U.S. immigration law can function as legal violence.

中文翻译：

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美墨边境地区孕期亲密伴侣暴力、移民相关压力和法律暴力的案例研究

本文探讨了在德克萨斯州埃尔帕索的美墨边境地区，亲密伴侣暴力 (IPV) 的经历以及与移民相关的压力如何影响了两名移民妇女的怀孕和产后经历。在数据收集期间（2018-2019 年），美国移民政策的制定正在迅速变化，导致研究参与者对移民相关的不安全感更加强烈。这种情况引起了人们对移民法如何加剧陷入虐待关系的孕妇和产后妇女健康不良后果的可能性的关注。本文介绍了两位女性 Sara 和 Sofi 的案例研究，她们的经历反映了更广泛的模式，该研究记录了对美墨边境地区 35 名第一代和第二代移民妇女的怀孕情绪体验进行的更大规模的定性研究。两位女性的叙述都强调了美国移民法导致她们在怀孕期间陷入虐待关系中的方式，这使她们更加脆弱。此外，他们所经历的压力有可能导致具体的健康脆弱性。所提供的案例研究说明了法律如何推动导致健康风险的过程，突出了美国移民法如何发挥法律暴力的作用。这使他们更加脆弱。此外，他们所经历的压力有可能导致具体的健康脆弱性。所提供的案例研究说明了法律如何推动导致健康风险的过程，突出了美国移民法如何发挥法律暴力的作用。这使他们更加脆弱。此外，他们所经历的压力有可能导致具体的健康脆弱性。所提供的案例研究说明了法律如何推动导致健康风险的过程，突出了美国移民法如何发挥法律暴力的作用。