"How Can I Help?"

One physician grapples with immigration in the ER

As a physician who cares for children in the emergency department, I see the highs and lows of human existence every day. I see parents who would do anything to protect their child. They rush in with worried eyes, holding small hands tightly, whispering prayers in languages from all over the world. In those moments, there are no “immigrants” or “citizens.” There are only families. There are only people.

America’s story has long been written by immigrants. They are our ancestors, families, coworkers, teachers, caregivers, and neighbors. They serve in our military, they raise families, they pay taxes.

Before I became a doctor, I studied cultural anthropology, the science of what makes us human. One truth across time is that every culture survives and thrives through cooperation. America’s strength comes from neighbors showing up for each other.

Yet now many immigrant families live with the fear that seeking medical care could bring them or their family harm. One of many peer-reviewed articles on the topic, a 2021 study in Health Affairs, found that after increased immigration enforcement in a community, Hispanic adults were significantly less likely to seek preventative care.

Similarly, a 2017 study in the International Journal of Epidemiology found that after a major immigration raid, infants born to Latino patients had a 24% higher risk of low birth weight, including among US-born mothers. This same effect was not seen among non-Latino patients. These findings indicate that the health impacts of aggressive immigration policies may echo across generations.

To those who value the safety of their communities, protecting the health of every person within our borders is not only moral, it is pragmatic. A community where anyone is too afraid to see a doctor is a community more vulnerable to outbreaks, overwhelmed hospitals, and needless suffering.

In the emergency room, I do not ask where a child was born before treating their asthma or their broken arm. I ask, “How can I help?” — a question that has long been and should remain the heart of America.

—Sara Kirkpatrick