New Hampshire public health and immigration advocates are raising concerns about the potential ripple effects of new federal policies allowing immigration enforcement officers to enter hospitals, clinics, and other medical establishments. And they’re encouraging health care providers to take steps to prepare for potential encounters with immigration law enforcement.
During a webinar hosted by the New Hampshire Public Health Association on Thursday, Executive Director Tory Jennison said these new policies can worsen health disparities as people may become less inclined to seek medical treatment, even in emergency situations.
“There’s a potential to create delays in people seeking necessary medical care or avoiding it completely,” Jennison said.
In January, the Trump administration reversed a longstanding Department of Homeland Security policy that limited Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from making arrests in “sensitive” places, such as schools, houses of worship, and medical establishments. Instead, the department said it now defers to law enforcement officers’ “common sense.”
This change has led local schools, hospitals, and other organizations to prepare, and to learn what their rights are if ICE does arrive.
Concern over these shifting policies and increased immigration enforcement can add to patients’ stress and increase the risk for preterm births and cardiovascular issues for immigrant parents, Jennison said, adding to maternal and child health concerns the state is already facing.
Iraida Muñoz, public health strategist for the city of Nashua, shared that the department of health says new immigrants to New Hampshire often seek help with insurance, child care, housing, and employment training.
Muñoz fears some immigrants may stop seeking these public services, leading them to experience increased stress and anxiety, which can interfere with their ability to access preventative care and manage chronic diseases.
“Immigrants and people struggling with this type of situations… don't have the opportunity to speak to professionals, especially because of their special circumstances,” Muñoz said. “So, that's why they are in a vulnerable category because the access of care is just not as easy.”
Muñoz urged health care providers and members of the public on the call to reject the categorization of undocumented immigrants as “illegal,” and explained that most immigrants in New Hampshire do have legal status in the U.S. Data from the American Immigration Council suggests that foreign born residents make up roughly 7% of the state’s population.
Katherine Harake, who works with the New Hampshire ACLU, said health care providers can establish firm policies and practices for dealing with immigration officials, including:
- Making sure public waiting areas and private examination/patient care rooms are clearly labeled.
- Training staff to know that they can ask immigration agents for identification, and to only share information or grant access to private areas if those agents present a judicial warrant or subpoena.
- Assure patients that they still have confidentiality and that their medical information is still covered by HIPAA, regardless of their immigration status. Harake said medical providers should also avoid noting a patient's status, as it typically is not necessary for care.
“If you really want to protect your community you have to make it really clear you have a protocol in place and that privacy of data and privacy of their information is really, really important,” Harake said.
