Trump Policies Having Chilling Effect On Immigrants Seeking Medical Care
Patients are canceling their appointments due to fears of being deported.
Stat:
Immigrants, Fearing Trump’s Deportation Policies, Avoid Doctor Visits
As President Trump continues to step up immigration enforcement, medical centers say the changes are indeed keeping immigrants out — of hospitals and clinics...Evidence that undocumented immigrants are avoiding clinics or hospitals because of the new guidelines is only anecdotal. But researchers have previously found that tightening of immigration policies have resulted in at least some increased fear in immigrant communities, with residents reluctant to leave their homes, go to the doctor, or take other actions they think might put themselves at risk. (Swetlitz, 2/24)
In other news —
Chicago Sun Times:
Doctors Gave Fake Medical Opinions To Help Win Citizenship
Psychiatrists and other doctors in Chicago and across the country have been caught helping immigrants gain U.S. citizenship by providing fake medical opinions, records show. An estimated 1,000 people a year submit a form to immigration officials in Chicago alone to waive the requirements that someone seeking citizenship must understand English and pass a test in U.S. history and civics. The obscure Form N-648 requires a doctor to list any physical or mental ailment that would prevent a patient from meeting the language requirements of citizenship. (Main, 2/24)
