A new report by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) finds that fear of immigration enforcement is preventing many immigrants, and even U.S. citizens in mixed-status families, from seeking necessary medical care.
Based on a national survey of 173 healthcare professionals, the report highlights delays in treatment, missed preventive care, and worsening health outcomes among patients concerned about their immigration status or potential interactions with authorities.
The study, titled Consequences of Fear: How the Trump Administration's Immigration Policies and Rhetoric Block Access to Health Care, attributes much of this fear to policies introduced during the Trump administration, and their continued impact under current immigration enforcement practices.
"These policies, coupled with inflammatory rhetoric, media coverage of sweeping raids, and threats of mass deportations, have collectively fueled widespread fear and deepened
uncertainty within many immigrant communities across the country, as well as among health care workers," says the report in its introduction.
Healthcare providers say the effects are widespread: patients are skipping appointments, avoiding emergency rooms, and delaying care until conditions become severe. "Patients are missing appointments and critically important care," said Dr. Katherine Peeler, a medical advisor to the report to the Miami Herald. "Those who do present are coming in with more advanced stages of illness and injury."
The chilling effect extends to people with various immigration statuses, including green card holders, visa holders, and even U.S. citizens who have undocumented family members. Children are particularly vulnerable a some parents have declined follow-up care for their children out of fear of contact with immigration officials.
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Telehealth has become a tool to mitigate these risks by allowing patients to receive care from a perceived safer distance. However, providers interviewed by the researchers note that telehealth has limitations and cannot substitute for in-person care in many situations.
PHR recommends concrete actions at the federal, state, and institutional levels. These include codifying the "sensitive locations" policy to legally protect hospitals from immigration enforcement, ensuring full enforcement of EMTALA regulations that guarantee emergency care regardless of status, and enhancing staff training to protect patient rights.
The report concludes that without immediate policy changes and systemic support, fear will continue to serve as a barrier to care, eroding both individual health outcomes and public health more broadly.
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