The Trump administration’s immigration policies are resulting in decreased access to health care among undocumented immigrants, individuals with other immigration statuses, and U.S. citizens, according to a new survey of 173 health care professionals across the United States, published today by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR). Medical professionals report that fear is already contributing to negative health outcomes, including delayed care, missed preventive services, treatment interruptions, and patients arriving for care later and sicker.
“Consequences of Fear: How the Trump Administration’s Immigration Policies and Rhetoric Block Access to Health Care,” a research brief published today by PHR, spotlights the impacts of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, practices, and rhetoric on health care providers’ ability to deliver proper care to their patients, as well as their patients’ care-seeking behaviors.
“Our new research brief shines a light on the mounting crisis in emergency rooms and doctors’ offices around the country. Patients are missing appointments and critically important care – those who do present are coming in with more advanced stages of illness and injury,” said Katherine Peeler, MD, PHR medical advisor and research team member. “The message from our survey of licensed health care providers could not be clearer: the Trump administration’s policies, practices, and rhetoric are resulting in widespread fear in communities across the country. Clinicians are concerned that this fear is already leading to less health care utilization and more negative health outcomes.”
PHR’s survey was distributed to PHR’s Asylum Network, which comprises more than 2,000 professionals across the United States, as well as to other health care professional networks, such as members of the Society of Asylum Medicine. All 173 respondents voluntarily completed the survey online between March 18 and March 24, 2025 and met the inclusion criteria of being a licensed health care worker (representing a broad range of specialties across 30 U.S. states and territories) practicing in the United States, with experience working with immigrant populations.
The research brief’s preliminary qualitative findings are not generalizable nor should be considered representative of all health care professionals in the United States. However, the responses offer a window into the experiences of respondents who are providing health care across a wide array of settings around the country.
The research brief highlights how pervasive fear is affecting patients with various immigration statuses (not only undocumented individuals), extending to U.S. citizens and their family members.
Children and families appear to face particularly severe health consequences. Survey respondents reported multiple ways that pediatric care has been affected by the new immigration landscape, including direct refusal of services to avoid extended time in health facilities, parental fear limiting participation in their child’s health care, visa or documentation barriers to continuous care, and, in one alarming case, an inability to address a domestic violence situation due to immigration status and enforcement concerns.
Medical professionals from a broad range of specialties spoke about the impacts they are witnessing in their hospitals and clinics:
- “People are afraid to come to their visits even when they are sick and need healthcare.” -Physician; Community Health Center/Federally Qualified Health Center; Massachusetts
- “ICE being present at emergency rooms has led patients to leave. as well as canceling primary visits and never rescheduling.” -Psychologist; Hospital; New Mexico
- “People are waiting longer to come to the hospital which means that [they] are arriving sicker.” -Nurse; Hospital; California
- “One mom is scared to file for a restraining order against abusive ex who is interfering with necessary medical treatment for their son because she is undocumented, and he has threatened to have her deported… the child is with dad half the time still and he does not follow through on medication treatment.” -Social Worker; Outpatient Pediatric Clinic; California
- “I work primarily in an intensive care unit and rarely supervise outpatient visits. However, I have noticed a decrease in the number of family members/loved ones present in the ICU.” -Physician; Hospital; Illinois
- “People are more fearful of coming to the hospital for care so they’re waiting until it’s an emergency or they are brought in by family or EMS [Emergency Medical Services].” -Physician; Hospital; Florida
- “I have had at least 2 patients whose loved ones have been deported in the last 2 months, and who are suffering both mental health challenges… as a result.” -Physician; Community Health Center/Federally Qualified Health Center; Texas
Surveyed health providers identified telemedicine as a tool to maintain some access to care while mitigating risks. Many respondents reported that patients are increasingly requesting telehealth services. However, many health conditions require in-person care, so the approach has clear limitations.
Many providers also expressed disappointment in their health care institutions for their limited guidance and resources for clinicians and patients who are navigating the new and opaque immigration landscape. The brief notes that “this moment presents an opportunity for institutions to lead with clarity by establishing standardized best practices that protect both patients and providers, and by reinforcing the health system’s role as a trusted space for all.”
“Health Care and U.S. Immigration Enforcement: What Providers Should Know,” a guide jointly published by PHR and the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), offers guidance to clinicians and health care administrators on how to maintain trust with all patients regardless of immigration status.
The brief calls for immediate action from policymakers, health care providers, and institutions to help address the disparities and challenges identified by respondents. PHR calls on the federal government and Congress, to reinstate and codify the “sensitive locations policy” into law to protect health care settings, among other sensitive locations such as schools and places of worship, from immigration enforcement actions. Recommendations for health care institutions include updating policies, signage, and training; implementing mitigation strategies; disseminating Know-Your-Rights materials; and consulting legal guidance and tools.
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is a New York-based advocacy organization that uses science and medicine to prevent mass atrocities and severe human rights violations. Learn more here.