Addressing Health Consequences of Immigration Policies
Healthy Harbors is a practical guide for family physicians, clinics, and health care teams navigating the intersection of immigration policy and patient care. In an era of rapid policy shifts and heightened fear among immigrant communities, this document offers actionable strategies to protect patient privacy, prepare for enforcement encounters, and create welcoming, informed clinical environments. Each chapter provides tools, resources, and best practices to support immigrant patients’ health, dignity, and access to care—regardless of immigration status.
Ice raids in clinics and other enforcement tactics impact not just individuals, but entire families and communities. Together, we can affirm health care as a human right and safeguard the relationships at the heart of family medicine. Discover and share the updated Healthy Harbors webpage that includes practical tools and resources to use now to support your immigrant patients and communities.
Immigration enforcement practices, such as detention and family separation, can seriously impact immigrant children's mental and physical health. Family physicians play a vital role in screening for trauma, providing trauma-informed care, and advocating against harmful policies. Resources and tools are available to help clinicians identify and support patients affected by these experiences.
Health care settings should be important spaces of safety and reassurance for immigrant patients. This chapter outlines practical steps clinics can take to create welcoming environments, such as staff training, displaying know-your-rights materials, and sharing eligibility resources. While federal immigration policies remain in flux, the clinic’s role in reducing fear and improving access to care remains critical.
Clinicians can play a vital role in supporting immigrant patients by sharing up-to-date, multilingual resources on immigration rights, legal services, benefits eligibility, and family preparedness. This chapter offers links to trusted materials, including know-your-rights cards, rapid response networks, and public charge guidance, helping providers reduce confusion and build trust with immigrant families navigating a shifting policy landscape.
Patient trust depends on protecting personal and immigration-related information. This chapter outlines legal protections under HIPAA and California law, offers guidance on collecting immigration status for eligibility (not medical) purposes, and encourages clinics to update physical and cybersecurity safeguards. Resources include multilingual privacy materials, legal references, and tools for secure documentation and data protection.
While immigration enforcement at health care facilities remains rare, clinics and offi ces must prepare. This chapter outlines how to designate a point person to handle ICE encounters, distinguish public vs. private areas, and respond appropriately to judicial vs. administrative warrants. It also provides information on staff training, patient education, documenting enforcement actions, and maintaining compliance with employment authorization laws. Ensuring preparedness protects both patients and staff, while reinforcing your clinic/office’s commitment to safe and confi dential care.
Supported by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the care they need, when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit www.chcf.org to learn more.
Prior versions of these resources, published in 2019, were developed in collaboration with the Alameda Contra Costa Medical Association, San Francisco Marin Medical Society, American Academy of Pediatrics-California, Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of California, Sonoma County Medical Society, and the CAFP Foundation. Our thanks to the California Health Care Foundation for its support of this important project.
