Association Between Immigration Enforcement Encounters and COVID-19 Testing and Delays in Care: A Cross-Sectional Study of Undocumented Young Adult Immigrants in California (BMC Public Health)

​Summary: In this study, authors quantify undocumented immigrants' lifetime exposure to various immigration enforcement tactics and their association with delays in COVID-19 testing and healthcare behaviors. This cross-sectional study included a nonrandom sample of 326 Asian and Latinx undocumented immigrants in California from September 2020 to February 2021. The primary exposure was immigration enforcement encounter scores ranging from 0–9, assessed through self-reports of direct experiences with the immigration system, immigration officials, and law enforcement. The main outcomes were positive test for COVID-19, had or suspected having COVID-19, and delayed or avoided testing and/or treatment for COVID-19 due to immigration status. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine the association between the primary exposure and outcomes of interest.

Findings: Among 326 participants, 7% had received a positive COVID-19 test result, while 43% reported having or suspected having COVID-19. Almost 13% delayed or avoided COVID-19 testing and/or treatment because of their immigration status. Overall, an increase in immigration enforcement encounters was associated with higher odds of suspecting having had COVID-19. Reporting an additional enforcement encounter was associated with higher odds of delaying or avoiding testing and/or treatment because of immigration status. Compared to their Latino counterparts, Asian respondents were more likely to report higher odds of delaying or avoiding testing and/or treatment. There were no significant associations between the enforcement score and testing positive for COVID-19. Additionally, while Latinxs were more likely to report immigration enforcement encounters than Asians, there were no differences in the effects of race on COVID-19 testing and health care behaviors in models with race as an interaction term.

Authors conclude that immigration enforcement encounters compound barriers to COVID-19 testing and treatment for undocumented immigrants. 

This article references Latinx and Asian Immigrants Across California Regions Have Different Experiences With Law and Immigration Enforcement, which uses estimates from the 2018 and 2019 California Health Interview Surveys (CHIS).
 

Read the Publication:

• Journal Article: Association Between Immigration Enforcement Encounters and COVID-19 Testing and Delays in Care: A Cross-Sectional Study of Undocumented Young Adult Immigrants in California (BMC Public Health)