Aggressive immigration enforcement is creating severe health disparities as immigrant families nationwide avoid medical care with devastating consequences. Doctors report higher appointment no-show rates and plummeting childhood vaccination rates, particularly affecting Hispanic populations.
In Dallas, back-to-school vaccinations for Hispanic children dropped dramatically in August 2025, falling to nearly 5,800 from 11,500 the previous year. Health department director Philip Huang said community outreach teams were repeatedly told that fears of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were keeping families away from clinics.
The consequences have been tragic. David Hill, a North Carolina pediatrician, treated a Spanish-speaking patient experiencing her first prenatal visit while already in labor. A stillbirth was inevitable. Hill believes she was likely among many patients who avoided care because they didn’t want to risk leaving home.
In Minneapolis, Children’s Minnesota emergency rooms have seen daily patient volumes drop from 130 to around 100 despite a severe flu season. When children do arrive, they’re sicker. Admission rates have increased nearly 5 percentage points. Bryan Fate, a pediatrician there, saw a girl whose ear infection had ruptured her eardrum because the family was too afraid to bring her in earlier.
At St. John’s Community Health in Los Angeles, no-show rates more than tripled during intense immigration raids last summer, with nearly one in three patients missing appointments. Mitesh Popat, CEO of Venice Family Clinic, said the enforcement creates a culture of fear that persists even when raids subside.
See: “Fearing ICE crackdown, immigrants nationally are avoiding treatment, sometimes with dire consequences” (February 3, 2026)Â