Living in the United States without a legal immigration status has millions of people living in shadows. They are confronted by mounting obstacles on a daily basis that provoke serious negative effects on their health, especially mental health.
As the nation prepares for the Affordable Care Act, some undocumented parents have found themselves in an immigration and health care bind: how do they enroll their child in a health care exchange without disclosing their immigration status?
In 2011, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) held a record-breaking 429,000 undocumented immigrants in over 250 detention facilities across the country. The hours and days those they are placed in detention centers have caused lasting medical and health effects.
Looking at kids being part of protests against deportations is something that could and should break anyone’s heart. I believe that no child should be in the position of suffering an unexpected separation from their parents because of immigration laws. But as we know, that situation happens daily.
I have worked in Arizona for over 14 years, and I have witness many families torn apart by immigration status. The most vulnerable are the children; I have seen them crying, angry, and feeling abandoned.
Undocumented patients and mixed status families pose special challenges for health care providers.
Jose Arreola’s parents told him at age five that he couldn’t speak Spanish in public, and couldn’t tell anyone where the family was from, or his mom and dad could be taken away....
As Congress grapples with immigration reform, questions are arising about the impact new Americans and legal residents could have on U.S. social programs, among them the health care system.
Day laborers are informal, marginalized workers in high hazard industries with few legal protections. For my 2013 California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowship, project I will produce three related feature radio reports on the occupational health of day labor workers.
Undocumented immigrants and lawfully present immigrants who’ve been here less than five years are the largest group excluded from health-care reform. They are not eligible to purchase insurance through the state exchanges and will continue to be excluded from Medicaid....
