Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS) contracted with HACER to assess the accuracy of available migrant enumeration counts, and to propose a protocol to better assess migrant legal services needs in Minnesota and North Dakota. Specifically, HACER was asked to conduct a review of the current literature on migrant enumeration and examine available population estimates to assess the accuracy of these numbers and report limitations and uncertainties found in the data. Moreover, HACER was asked to develop a survey instrument and a key-informant interview protocol to assess the legal services needs of migrants in Minnesota and North Dakota. 

This report should serve as a basis for further discussion regarding the need for legal services among migrant workers and their families. It is a preliminary review of existing data on the enumeration of migrant workers and families in Minnesota and North Dakota. In this report we discuss existing studies and interviews conducted by HACER in order to assess the accuracy of migrant counts, identify areas where more information is needed, and suggest a research protocol to assess current needs for legal services among migrants.