April 5, 2016

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

Immigration raids affect community health, study says

ICE Special Agents (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) arresting suspects during a 2010 raid in Houston. Credit: ICE via Wikimedia Commons
× close
ICE Special Agents (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) arresting suspects during a 2010 raid in Houston. Credit: ICE via Wikimedia Commons

Immigration raids could have considerable health effects in the surrounding community, further marginalizing people and preventing them from seeking health-care services, a new study says.

The study by the University of Michigan School of Public Health was based on a survey that was in progress when an immigration raid took place in November 2013 in Washtenaw County in southeastern Michigan.

The survey found that people, including those born in the U.S, were less likely to seek after the raid and less likely to engage with their community.

The study also showed a decline of self-rated among community members, with 55 percent of respondents rating their health as excellent or very good before the raid. But 51 percent said their health was excellent or very good after the .

"People might not realize it, but this affects our entire community on a daily basis. These are our family and friends, students and coworkers. They are the people preparing our food, caring for our children," said William Lopez, a doctoral student at U-M School of Public Health and one of the researchers in the project.

Daniel Kruger, lead researcher of the study, said, "Even if we can't change the immigration policies or prevent raids from happening, people should know that they can access these services. If they know how the system works and what would and would not put them at risk, hopefully people would be more likely to use those services."

He added, "One thing that agencies can do is to explicitly tell in their marketing materials that using their services will not put them at risk of deportation."

The study was published in the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health.

More information: William D. Lopez et al. Health Implications of an Immigration Raid: Findings from a Latino Community in the Midwestern United States, Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health (2016). DOI: 10.1007/s10903-016-0390-6

Load comments (0)