With images of children alone and placed in cages crossing the globe in recent years, the consequences of immigration policies have become all too evident, but these visceral images are largely the tip of the iceberg, with a plethora of policies impacting the lives of immigrants across the land.
New research from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research highlights the impact of these policies on the health of immigrants, who are often deprived of crucial public assistance as a result.
Public avoidance
The research was based on data gleaned from the California Health Interview Survey conducted in 2019, which showed that 25% of low-income immigrant adults have deliberately avoided accessing various public assistance programs in areas such as food, healthcare, and housing out of fear that doing so might jeopardize either their own immigration status or that of a family member.
Around half of these people said that they had avoided the programs during the period between when Trump’s administration had proposed rule changes in 2018 and their eventual implementation in 2020.
The new legislation would penalize immigrants who rely on things such as food stamps, housing vouchers, or Medicaid, even if only for a short period, by lowering their chances of securing a green card or permanent residency.
Health implications
This then had an understandable impact on the health and wellbeing of the individuals concerned, with over half saying they were food insecure and 37% saying they were uninsured.
What’s more, those who had avoided public programs were also far more likely to report delays in receiving crucial medical care, failing to receive mental health support, and even struggling to secure prescription medication.
The authors found that the proposed public charge changes were having an impact even on immigrants who weren’t subject to the rule, with over a quarter of those who were permanent residents also avoiding public assistance programs.
“Policies that sow fear and confusion around immigration status contribute to the avoidance of public programs, which can have serious implications for health and well-being,” the researchers say. “Programs like Medi-Cal and CalFresh, for food assistance, serve as a crucial safety net for California families, and inclusive policies that provide access to public programs could help protect the health of Californians, particularly during a pandemic.”
Seeking support
President Biden called for an immediate review of the rule in February 2021, but the researchers note a long history of policies preventing or deterring eligible immigrants from accessing public support.
They have found that avoidance is particularly high among noncitizens who are also not permanent residents, especially if they are young, Latino, and don’t speak good English.
“The findings suggest the crucial need to provide accurate and easy-to-understand information about immigration rules and the impact they may have on public health,” the researchers say.
They hope that information campaigns can help to overcome and confusion or misinformation immigrants may have about immigration policies, but ultimately it will require policymakers to reverse existing policies while avoiding policies that ensure people fall through the cracks and create far bigger problems, especially during public health emergencies such as we’re living through today.
“California is home to over 10 million immigrants and about a quarter of the immigrant population in the U.S., more than any other state in the nation,” the authors conclude. “The COVID-19 pandemic, fraught with catastrophic life events and economic loss, further amplifies the need to preserve vital services for all residents.”
