Fear of ICE is putting Latina Reproductive Healthcare at Risk
Author: Liana Bethala, MS, Real Health Impact Community Engagement Fellow
In a state of insecurity and fear, people’s need for healthcare gets sacrificed. Since January 2025, the current administration has increased US Immigration and Customs Enforcements (ICE) presence throughout the country in an effort to seek out and deport undocumented immigrants.1 The directive targets the Latinx population, leading to undue questioning and detainment on not just undocumented immigrants but legal immigrants and U.S. citizens as well.3 Through the last 16 months, thousands have been detained or arrested, and now several deaths have occurred.1 Major cities across the country have been targeted, and even when federal forces have been pulled back, ICE’s presence continues to loom large over communities.19 Members of the Latinx population report avoiding public places, work or school events, or necessary healthcare needs out of fear of deportation and family separation, and this is just the beginning..3
The Latinx population already has significant disparities in healthcare outcomes. In 2024, only 83% reported of the Latinx population in the U.S. having health insurance coverage compared to the 92% of the total U.S. population, and 28% reported they speak English less than very well.4 In nearly every state, Latina women faced higher levels of no health insurance coverage, poverty, food insufficiency, and housing insecurity compared to white non-Hispanic men and women.5 (It is important to note that while we are using the term Latina women to reflect the studies cited, we are including nonbinary and transgender members of the Latinx community in this conversation.) This is a serious concern because healthcare coverage and language barriers have been shown to be linked to poorer outcomes in health, and poorer health outcomes have been shown to lead to greater social and economic burdens as a whole.4 In 2017, the economic burden of racial and ethnic health inequities was around $420-450 billion with Hispanic and Latino population attributing 43% from lost labor market productivity.8
This administration’s executive orders on immigration exacerbates the issue of the Latinx community being able to have their healthcare needs met. In 2025, the Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and Migrant Clinician Network (MCN) conducted a survey on healthcare workers working with immigrant populations and reported that 27% reported fear of citizenship investigation as a barrier to their healthcare enrollment.2 Further, 84% reported a moderate to significant decrease in patient visits since January 2025.2 26% of clinicians reported immigration enforcement has directly affected patient care. Clinicians recounted ICE presence in medical facilities, asking about protected health information and accessing some Medicaid information 2. In an anecdote, ICE staked out medical clinics in immigrant neighborhoods.9 Even when ICE presence has been pulled back in some cities, services still remain impacted. These services include prevention, chronic disease management, mental health care, and notably here, obstetrics.2
In this crisis of healthcare, Latina women are at most risk, particularly when it comes to reproductive care. Latina women had higher rates of HIV, STDs, and cervical cancer, and their pregnancy and birth rates were more than twice the national average.6 The lack of health insurance and high costs limits their access to reproductive care, including preventative care and obstetrics.6 Now the threat of deportation is creating an even higher barrier to reproductive health care.6 For example, Minneapolis saw an increase in home birth considerations since ICE's presence increased.10 Their access to abortion is also significantly affected 6.7 million Latinas women live in states that have or will likely ban abortion7; now, because of citizenship investigations, they are further prevented from accessing abortion care or have even more difficulties travelling to a new state for care.7 Latina women are at an increased risk of not having the reproductive care they need because the fear of deportation has compounded already significant disparities in healthcare.
As we address how ICE enforcement is impacting the Latinx community, and particularly Latina women, the need for reproductive care cannot go overlooked. Several solutions have been proposed by experts in the field. An important solution is to adapt for the community members who are afraid to leave their homes. Clinics can offer home visits, telehealth, and street medicine.12 One study showed 90.5% of the Latina women participating agreed to a gynecologic appointment via telemedicine.13 Experts have also suggested offering multiple months of medication if possible to limit the risk of running into ICE in the clinic, as well as providing hard copies of medical records in case of lost contact.12. Within the clinics, providers and staff should be trained on HIPAA requirements and connect with local immigration and legal advocacy groups.12 On a policy level, we should fight to enshrine the right to abortion, for ICE to be removed from health care facilities, and to end data-sharing of Medicaid with ICE2. Dr. Peeler of PHR says, “Health care workers and institutions also have a critical role to play in keeping their patients healthy and safe. Clinicians can protect their patients, colleagues, and themselves through actions that maintain trust, facilitate access to care, and adhere to legal rights and obligations.”2
Sources
1https://capitalbnews.org/trump-national-guard-city-updates/
4https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/hispaniclatino-health
5https://nwlc.org/resource/social-determinants-of-health-metrics-for-latinas-by-state/
7https://www.lwv.org/blog/navigating-restricted-reproductive-care-latina
8https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2804818
9https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/19/us/immigration-doctors-ice-health-care
10https://edhub.ama-assn.org/jn-learning/audio-player/19038032
11https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0884217524002624
12https://nhchc.org/strategies-to-improve-access-to-care-and-staff-morale/
