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Special Issue 2025
Volume 12 | Issue No. 101
"I hope I see in my lifetime a growing
realization that we are one world. And
that no one is going to have quality of life
unless we support everyone's quality of life.
– Dr. Helen Rodríguez-TrÍas
According to the Center for Immigration
Studies, immigrant individuals – lawfully
present and undocumented – made
up 46.2 million people in the U.S. as of
November 2021. Despite these numbers,
the U.S. continues to have a torrid
relationship with non- U.S.-born citizens,
and especially those who require acute
health care services. As this country
struggles with a history of health and
racial inequities among its own citizenry
of Latino/a, Black, and Indigenous
individuals, the needs of its immigrant
population are ignored, dismissed, and
flagrantly devalued. As for those in
dire need of lifesaving health care, the
bureaucracy and red tape can constitute
a literal death sentence.
For context, noncitizens include lawfully
present and undocumented immigrants.
Lawfully present immigrants have
temporary or permanent status like visas
or green cards. This includes refugees and
asylees who are usually able to apply for
Medicaid and other temporary benefits in
certain states. If for any reason they don't
qualify, they are eligible for a temporary
program called Refugee Medical
Assistance (RMA) for an eight-month
period.
However, fear, confusion, and a reticence
to seek support were exacerbated during
the Trump administration. The public
charge rule was drastically expanded
to reduce the number of people who
were eligible for green cards and visas by
redefining what made them dependent
on government safety net programs. This
made it scarier and more confusing for
immigrant individuals to seek care and
support.
Although the Joe Biden and Kamala Harris
administration reversed the rule, research
suggests that the damage is already
done. More immigrants forfeited medical
assistance or delayed care, worsening
outcomes for those with chronic disease.
Individuals who receive deferred action
are authorized to be in the U.S. for a period
of time, as deportation is temporarily
deferred.
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