A snapshot into how deportations affect health
It’s been… a week. Sometimes I’m left feeling like I’m bailing buckets of water out of an ocean. So I’m going to keep this short.
As you may have heard, RFK Jr. has already revealed eight names for the new ACIP committee. As mentioned earlier, there was a spectrum of possibilities on who these names would be, going from “best case” to “worst case.” Let’s say there are some major red flags. But there may be more names, and I want to wait to comment until the entire list is revealed and I have a steady head. More soon.
Part of the exhaustion this week isn’t just professional. It’s also deeply personal…
Every night, I ask my girls about their day. Most of the time, their answers reflect their innocence and uncomplicated lives (“Someone cut in front of me in the lunch line.”) But my daughter’s response stopped me.
Daughter: Aiden* was being really mean today.
Me: Well, sometimes when someone is mean, that means they are really sad inside.
Daughter: That makes sense because he was crying all day.
Me: Why was he crying?
Daughter: Because his parents had to go back to Mexico.
Me: For a summer vacation?
Daughter: No, forever. He doesn’t know when he will see them again. He has to live with his grandma. [pause] Are you going to have to go to Mexico?
One in eight students in states like California have at least one undocumented parent. So I suppose it was only a matter of time before my daughters’ world collided with the reality of immigration policy. But nothing prepares you for the conversation.
Regardless of where you stand politically on immigration, it’s essential to understand that policy changes impact not just individuals who are deported, but the communities they leave behind, especially children.
And this isn’t just anecdotal. The data backs it up. Here’s a snapshot:
“Mixed families” tend to behave according to the person with the least documentation. Living in a state of fear, uncertainty, or insecurity, or the actual family separation, can trigger toxic stress—an ongoing activation of the body’s stress response system that disrupts healthy brain development, especially in children. Over time, this can elevate heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol levels, leading to long-term health and developmental consequences.
In 2008, 400 people at an Iowa factory were detained after a raid, and the news spread throughout Iowa communities. A study found that in the 37 weeks following the raid, there were more Hispanic American babies born with low birth weight due to stress in mothers across Iowa.
In Los Angeles, fear of immigration raids led people to delay seeking care for tuberculosis. Pathogens don’t care about immigration status, and when fear deters care for contagious illnesses, it affects everyone’s health.
In 2023, after Florida passed a law to require hospitals to ask for immigration status, 66% of noncitizens reported increased hesitation to go to the hospital (compared to just 27% of citizens). Delayed care will increase costs.
But amid the policy shifts, communities can still be a source of strength. Children like Aiden need extra care, support, and stability. Caregivers, educators, neighbors, and clinical teams all have a role to play. Marisa, YLE’s correspondent in New York, pulled together resources for you to help support the children and families quietly carrying this burden. She also took a deeper dive into the data and noted the recent rollback of protections for sensitive locations. Check it out here:
Bottom line
Policy shifts don’t happen in a vacuum—they ripple through classrooms, clinics, and dinner tables, shaping the lives of children and communities in quiet but profound ways. I hope that wherever Aiden’s parents are now, they know their child is still surrounded by a community that cares deeply about his well-being.
This weekend, I’ll be hugging my girls a little tighter. Turning off the noise. Heading to the ocean. And grounding myself in community and connection.
See you next week.
Love,
YLE
*The name of the child has been changed to protect his privacy.
Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE) is founded and operated by Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, MPH PhD—an epidemiologist, wife, and mom of two little girls. YLE is a public health newsletter that reaches over 375,000 people in more than 132 countries, with one goal: to translate the ever-evolving public health science so that people are well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions. This newsletter is free to everyone, thanks to the generous support of fellow YLE community members. To support the effort, subscribe or upgrade below:
This is one of the sadist post ever! My heart breaks for "Aden" and all families faced with this possibility.
I had a very similar experience with my daughter recently. Thanks so much for sharing, and connecting the impacts to public health!