For Immediate Release: December 2, 2016
Undocumented families living in the United States frequently report forgoing or delaying care because they fear that they will be reported to immigration officials. As a result, conditions that are easily addressed through prevention or early treatment are more likely to progress into serious health issues. Aggressive deportation policies, a rapid and significant expansion of detention and incarceration practices, including an increase in the use of expedited removal practices targeting women and children, coupled with the expanded role of for-profit prison companies and an outdated immigration system, have only exacerbated the already significant barriers to care and safety that immigrants, particularly woman face. The result that has been a climate of panic and fear that permeates communities and creates conditions where the deprivation of rights, family disruption, inadequate access to health care, and abuse become commonplace.
Solutions:
– Issue a moratorium on deportation until reforms and protections are set in a place for undocumented families and workers residing in the U.S.