Donald Trump vilified immigrants during his presidential campaign and has continued to do so since being sworn into office, signing executive orders that target undocumented immigrants, among other measures. As federal immigration officials emboldened by Trump’s executive orders seek out and detain undocumented immigrants, their communities are experiencing an increase in fear that can impact their health.
An estimated 307,000 undocumented immigrants lived in Cook County as of 2014, according to a report commissioned by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. Many can turn to the Cook County Health and Hospitals Systems when sick without fear of being turned over to ICE.
“My mom started feeling ill. We went to a health fair and they told us her blood sugar was high, so they told her to go to a doctor to confirm if she had diabetes and get it treated,” she says. “But we didn’t have insurance, so my mom said she felt fine and we didn’t go.”
And while she has some protections under DACA, she fears for her undocumented parents because they have nothing preventing immigration officials from deporting them.
The study concluded that psychosocial stressors, like the Postville raid, cause pregnant mothers to shift stress hormone balances in ways that affect a developing fetus.
