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Restrictive U.S. immigration policies and enforcement have led to concerns among providers about how these changes affect service utilization among Latinx and immigrant communities. This study outlines perceptions from twenty service providers in health care, mental health, legal affairs, and immigrant advocacy in El Paso, Texas. Nearly all respondents stated that their work has been negatively affected by immigration enforcement policies under the current federal administration. Most reported changes in utilization among undocumented immigrants and families of mixed immigration status, as well as legal permanent and temporary residents, refugees or asylum seekers, and U.S. citizens. Negative effects were related to immigration-related fear and uncertainty in the community, a need for public education about policies and individuals' rights, and changes in immigration policy enforcement. Further research about the impacts of immigration enforcement policies on service utilization is needed. To protect the well-being of immigrant communities, policy makers should be aware of the human rights implications of immigration enforcement policies with regard to service utilization. In a global environment of increasing nationalism and xenophobia, nations must carefully consider the implications of harsh anti-immigrant narratives and strict immigration enforcement on the well-being of minority and immigrant populations.
Keywords: immigration enforcement, immigration policy, service utilization
The intensification of U.S. immigration enforcement policies has raised concerns among health, social service, and legal assistance providers about unintended adverse effects on the use of services among Latinx and immigrant communities. Latinos and Latinas (referred to as Latinx) make up 18 percent of the U.S. population and are the country's largest ethnic minority (Lopez, Passel, & Rohal, 2015). We will study the effects of current policies on service utilization from the perspective of providers in a border community with a high proportion of Latinx and immigrant residents.
Immigration Policy and Enforcement Changes under the Current Federal Administration
U.S. immigration policy has prioritized border enforcement and interior deportation since the 1990s. This policy has hardened in the last two years. The Trump administration issued a series of executive orders in January 2017 to intensify immigration enforcement inside the United States, expand enforcement at the U.S.-Mexico border, and restrict entry to the United States for foreign nationals of seven Muslim-majority countries. These orders called for the hiring of 10,000 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement...