US immigration policies interfere with prenatal care and parenting choices, hurting people and communities

Late in her pregnancy in the fall of 2025, Jacqueline, a Guatemalan immigrant living in North Florida, began planning for labor alone. After her husband was detained and deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, she stopped leaving her home except when absolutely necessary. Even routine prenatal visits felt risky, she told the news site The 19th. A local clinic eventually arranged Uber pickups and drop-offs so she could continue care, but each trip required calculation: Was it safe to leave? When labor began, she asked hospital staff a question few patients ever have to consider: Were immigration agents nearby? Stories like Jacqueline’s were widely reported in the news through early 2026. And although such stories are less frequently in the headlines now, immigration enforcement is ongoing, and health providers say the fear it generates continues to deter patients from seeking care. Since mid-2025, clinics in several states have documented increases in appointment cancellations, missed follow-ups and disruptions to time-sensitive services, including prenatal care and cancer screenings. As a scholar of reproductive justice and public health, I write about how systems meant to provide care can instead cause harm in my book, “Ill Erotics: Black Jamaican Women and Self-Making in Times…

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