Over the past couple years, anti-immigrant sentiment has been building nationally. In January 2017, President Trump issued Executive Order 13768: Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States (EO 13768), which fanned the flames of that anti-immigrant narrative, raising it into the country’s national consciousness. Since then, several additional immigration policy decisions, such as ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) programs, and issuing Executive Order 13769, also known as the “travel ban,” have strengthened this narrative.
Because of EO 13768’s enforcement priorities, arrests, detentions, and deportations are increasing in Colorado. This creates apprehension and both short- and long-term health and safety impacts for immigrants without documentation. As the Trump administration continues to intensify its efforts to curb immigration, Colorado legislators, public health agencies, and health care and advocacy organizations should consider immigration policy as health policy, and show leadership on these issues.
Immigration Policy Is Health Policy