Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Local-Level Immigration Enforcement and Risk of Pediatric Hospitalization for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Immigration enforcement may disrupt access to health care, potentially increasing hospitalizations for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions (ACSC). We aimed to assess the effect of local-level 287(g) immigration enforcement on North Carolina pediatric ACSC hospitalizations. Pediatric (< 19 year) ACSC hospitalizations were identified based on ICD-9 codes. We compared ACSC hospitalizations pre and post 287(g) implementation using a difference-in-difference analysis of Fiscal Year (FY)2006-2009 data. We used multi-level models to assess the effects of 287(g) programs on ACSC hospitalizations during FY2011-2015. Difference-in-difference analyses showed that ACSC hospitalizations increased by more than 2.48% in the year following 287(g) implementation (95% CI: 0.99%, 3.97%). Among the counties that had ever implemented a 287(g) program, the ACSC-increasing effect of an active 287(g) program was greatest in counties with a shorter tenure of their 287(g) program and for Hispanic/Latino children/adolescents. Our findings underscore the importance of describing the effects of local-level immigration enforcement on pediatric access to care and potentially avoidable hospitalizations.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Martinez O, Wu E, Sandfort T, Dodge B, Carballo-Dieguez A, Pinto R, Rhodes S, Moya E, Chavez-Baray S, Chavez-Baray S. Evaluating the Impact of Immigration Policies on Health Status Among Undocumented Immigrants: A Systematic Review. J Immigr Minor Health. 2015;17(3):947–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Philbin MM, Flake M, Hatzenbuehler ML, Hirsch JS. State-level immigration and immigrant-focused policies as drivers of Latino health disparities in the United States. Soc Sci Med. 2018;199:29–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Novak NL, Geronimus AT, Martinez-Cardoso AM. Change in birth outcomes among infants born to Latina mothers after a major immigration raid. Int J Epidemiol. 2017;46(3):839–49.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Perreira KM, Ornelas IJ. The Physical and Psychological Well-Being of Immigrant Children. Future Child. 2011;21(1):195–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Sullivan MM, Rehm R. Mental health of undocumented Mexican immigrants: a review of the literature. ANS Advances in nursing science. 2005;28(3):240–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Legislators NCoS. Report on State Immigration Laws 2018. 2019 Feb 26 2020]; Available from: https://www.ncsl.org/research/immigration/report-on-state-immigration-laws.aspx.

  7. Delegation of Immigration Authority Section 287(g) Immigration and Nationality Act. 2020 December 15, 2020 [cited December 19, 2020 2020]; Available from: https://www.ice.gov/287g.

  8. Hadleyl C, Galeal S, Nandi V, Nandi A, Lopez G, Strongarone S, Ompad D. Hunger and health among undocumented Mexican migrants in a US urban area. Public Health Nutrition. 2008;11(2):151–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Hernandez DJ, National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on the Health and Adjustment of Immigrant Children and Families., Children of immigrants: health, adjustment, and public assistance. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press; 1999. p. 660.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Ybarra M, Ha Y, Chang J. Health insurance coverage and routine health care use among children by family immigration status. Child and Youth Services Review. 2017;79:97–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Radford J. Key findings about U.S. immigrants. Fact Tank 2018 [cited 2019 January 25]; Available from: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/11/30/key-findings-about-u-s-immigrants/.

  12. Kandel WA, Interior Immigration Enforcement: Criminal Alien Programs. 2016, Congressional Research Service. p. 1–24.

  13. Rhodes SD, Mann L, Simn FM, Song E, Alonzo J, Downs M, Lawlor E, Martinez O, Sun CJ, O’Brien MC, Reboussin BA, Hall MA. The impact of local immigration enforcement policies on the health of immigrant hispanics/latinos in the United States. Am J Public Health. 2015;105(2):329–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Cholera R, Ranapurwala SI, Linton J, Shmuel S, Miller-Fitzwater A, Best DL, Simha S, Flower KB. Health Care Utilization Among Latinx Children After 2017 Executive Actions on Immigration. Pediatrics. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-0272.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Health Care Coverage Maps. 2018 8/13/18 [cited 2020 December 19, 2020]; Available from: https://www.nilc.org/issues/health-care/healthcoveragemaps.

  16. Medicaid and CHIP Coverage of Lawfully Residing Children & Pregnant Women. 2019 December 11, 2019 [cited 2020 December 19, 2020]; Available from: https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/enrollment-strategies/medicaid-and-chip-coverage-lawfully-residing-children-pregnant-women.

  17. Quality AoHRa, Guide to Prevention Quality Indicators: Hospital Admission for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions. AHRQ Pub. No. 02-R0203, 2001.

  18. Lu S, Kuo DZ. Hospital charges of potentially preventable pediatric hospitalizations. Academic pediatrics. 2012;12(5):436–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Parker JD, Schoendorf KC. Variation in Hospital Discharges for Ambulatory Care-Sensitive Conditions Among Children. Pediatrics. 2000;106:942–8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Feudtner C, Christakis DA, Connell FA. Pediatric deaths attributable to complex chronic conditions: A population-based study of Washington state, 1980–1997. Pediatrics. 2000;106(1):205–9.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Lu S, Kuo DZ. Hospital charges of potentially preventable pediatric hospitalizations. Acad Pediatr. 2012;12(5):436–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Dehejia RH, Wahba S. Propensity Score-Matching Methods for Nonexperimental Causal Studies. The Review of Economics and Statistics. 2002;84(1):151–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Beniflah JD, Little WK, Simon HK, Sturm J. Effects of immigration enforcement legislation on Hispanic pediatric patient visits to the pediatric emergency department. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2013;52(12):1122–6.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Bettenhausen JL, Colvin JD, Berry JG, Puls HT, Markham JL, Plencner LM, Krager MK, Johnson MB, Queen MA, Walker JM, Latta GM, Riss RR, Hall M. Association of Income Inequality With Pediatric Hospitalizations for Ambulatory Care-Sensitive Conditions. JAMA Pediatr. 2017;171(6):e170322.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Chang CH, O’Malley AJ, Goodman DC. Association between Temporal Changes in Primary Care Workforce and Patient Outcomes. Health Serv Res. 2017;52(2):634–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Feng C, Paasche-Orlow MK, Kressin NR, Rosen JE, Lopez L, Kim EJ, Lin MY, Hanchate AD. Disparities in Potentially Preventable Hospitalizations: Near-National Estimates for Hispanics. Health Serv Res. 2018;53(3):1349–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Parker JD, Schoendorf KC. Variation in hospital discharges for ambulatory care-sensitive conditions among children. Pediatrics. 2000;106(4 Suppl):942–8.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Krieger N, Waterman PD, Spasojevic J, Li W, Maduro G, Van Wye G. Public Health Monitoring of Privilege and Deprivation With the Index of Concentration at the Extremes. Am J Public Health. 2016;106(2):256–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Census US, American Community Survey. 2019: https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/acs/.

  30. North Carolina Institute of Medicine. County-Level Estimates of Non-Elderly Uninsured, 2006–2007. 2008 p. https://nciom.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/County_Level_Estimates_Uninsured_2006-2007.pdf.

  31. National Center for Health Statistics. NCHS Urban-Rural Classification Scheme for Counties. cited 2020; Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data_access/urban_rural.htm.

  32. The Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research. Program on Health Workforce Research and Policy. cited 2020; Available from: https://www.shepscenter.unc.edu/programs-projects/workforce/health-workforce-nc/.

  33. Magaña Lopez M, Bevans M, Wehrlen L, Yang L, Wallen GR. Discrepancies in Race and Ethnicity Documentation: a Potential Barrier in Identifying Racial and Ethnic Disparities. J Racial Ethn Health Disparities. 2016;4(5):812–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Boehmer U, Kressin NR, Berlowitz DR, Christiansen CL, Kazis LE, Jones JA. Self-reported vs administrative race/ethnicity data and study results. Am J Public Health. 2002;92(9):1471–2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Executive Order: Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States. 2017 January 25, 2017 [cited 2020 December 19, 2020]; Available from: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-enhancing-public-safety-interior-united-states/.

  36. Pham H, 287(g) Agreements in the Trump Era. Washington & Lee Law Review, 2018. 75(3).

  37. Brandenberger J, Bozorgmehr K, Vogt F, Tylleskar T, Ritz N. Preventable admissions and emergency-department-visits in pediatric asylum-seeking and non-asylum-seeking patients. Int J Equity Health. 2020;19(1):58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Council AI. Immigrants in North Carolina. 2017 [cited 2019 January 27]; Available from: https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/immigrants-north-carolina.

  39. Hatzenbuehler ML, Prins SJ, Flake M, Philbin M, Frazer MS, Hagen D, Hirsch J. Immigration policies and mental health morbidity among Latinos: A state-level analysis. Soc Sci Med. 2017;174:169–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Guagliardo MF, Teach SJ, Huang ZHJ, Chamberlain JM, Joseph JG. Racial and ethnic disparities in pediatric appendicitis rupture rate. Acad Emerg Med. 2003;10(11):1218–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Torche F, Sirois C. Restrictive Immigration Law and Birth Outcomes of Immigrant Women. Am J Epidemiol. 2019;188(1):24–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Lion KC, Brown JC, Ebel BE, Klein EJ, Strelitz B, Gutman CK, Hencz P, Fernandez J, Mangione-Smith R. Effect of Telephone vs Video Interpretation on Parent Comprehension, Communication, and Utilization in the Pediatric Emergency Department: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Pediatr. 2015;169(12):1117–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Karliner LS, Jacobs EA, Chen AH, Mutha S. Do professional interpreters improve clinical care for patients with limited English proficiency? A systematic review of the literature. Health Serv Res. 2007;42(2):727–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. in State of the USA Health Indicators: Letter Report. 2009: Washington (DC).

  45. Coleman M. The “Local” Migration State: The Site-Specific Devolution of Immigration Enforcement in the U.S. South. Law & Policy. 2012;34(2):159–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Secure Communities. 2018 March, 20, 2018; Available from: https://www.ice.gov/secure-communities.

  47. Chaudry A, Capps, R., Pedroza, J. M., Castaneda, R. M., Santos, R., Scott, M. M. . Facing our future: Children in the aftermath of immigration enforcement. 2020 February 2010 [cited 2020 December 19, 2020]; Available from: http://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/28331/412020-Facing-Our-Future.PDF.

  48. Dee TS, Murphy M. Vanished Classmates: The Effects of Local Immigration Enforcement on School Enrollment. American Education Research Journal. 2019;57(2):694–727.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

LFR was supported by T32-HD007168 and benefited from Carolina Population Center Grant, P2C HD050924. MJW was supported by HRSA T32-HP14001.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biobehavioral Health, College of Health and Human Development, The Pennsylvania State University, 219 Biobehavioral Health Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Lindsay Fernández-Rhodes

  2. Division of Hospital Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University School of Medicine, 2301 Erwin Rd, Durham, NC, 27705, USA

    Michelle J. White

Authors
  1. Lindsay Fernández-Rhodes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michelle J. White
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lindsay Fernández-Rhodes.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

This research study was conducted retrospectively from data collected as part of clinical interactions. Data were used in accordance to the data use agreement with the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research. We consulted with the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who determined that our study did not need ethical approval. An IRB official waiver of ethical approval was granted from the IRB of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (docx 406 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Fernández-Rhodes, L., White, M.J. Local-Level Immigration Enforcement and Risk of Pediatric Hospitalization for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions. J Immigrant Minority Health 24, 309–317 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-021-01163-1

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-021-01163-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation