Detained at the doctor’s office: US immigration policy endangers health
The elimination of protections against immigration action in healthcare facilities risks patient care, public health, and moral injury to providers, write Kathleen R Page and colleagues On 20 January 2025, the day of his second inauguration as president, Donald Trump signed an executive order rescinding the Biden era policy that restricted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations at “sensitive” locations, including schools, churches, and healthcare facilities.12 The negative impact has been immediate. Patients are fearful, public health is under threat, and providers are braced for ethical challenges. One author (KRP) is the medical director of a charitable programme that provides access to healthcare for people on low incomes excluded from coverage under the Affordable Care Act—primarily immigrants. Another author (CNC) directs an organisation that provides comprehensive primary care, mental health, and medicolegal services for asylum seekers and other forced migrants. We immediately heard from concerned patients, wondering whether it was safe to come to the clinic, asking to switch to telehealth appointments, and questioning whether they should disenroll their children (in many cases US citizens) from public …
