Provider’s perspectives on the impact of ICE on immigrant health

Topic Area: Immigrant health
Service: Applied Research

Increasing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities such as raids, detention, and deportation may be affecting the health and well-being of immigrants. ICH staff members were senior authors of a study published in the Journal of Healthcare for the Poor and Underserved that aimed to understand the impact of ICE activities on immigrant health from the perspective of health care providers. The study included an online survey of primary care and emergency medicine providers to determine whether ICE activity was negatively affecting immigrant patients. Of 327 providers surveyed, 163 responded (50%) and 156 (48%) met criteria for inclusion. Seventy-five (48%) of them observed negative effects of ICE enforcement on the health or health access of immigrant patients. Forty-three providers gave examples of the impact on emotional health, ability to comply with health care recommendations, and access. Results of the study indicated that health care providers are witnessing the negative effects of ICE activities on their immigrant patients’ psychological and physical health. A seminal paper linking immigration enforcement to health, this study has been widely cited.