Disrupting Immigrant and Pediatric Care

New liberties taken during such arrests raise serious questions, said one pediatric otolaryngologist currently practicing in Boston. “Such publicity may discourage families from attending their visits and might compromise patient safety,” they said.

The impact of such practices on children should be everyone’s concern, emphasized Laszlo Madaras, MD, MPH, chief medical officer of the MCN, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to improving healthcare access and outcomes for migrant and immigrant communities across the U.S. The work of MCN centers on equity, dignity, language access, and culturally responsive care. “As health providers, we’re all trying to protect children, whether or not they have paperwork,” he said. “They deserve our care because we are the adults, and they are the kids. It’s an important part of a civilized society to have compassion and to care for our children.”

Impossible Choices

Today’s immigrant parents have been placed in an untenable position, as they question the wisdom of bringing their children to local healthcare facilities and risking confrontation and possible family separation and/or detention due to immigration enforcement activity on or near the premises. As a result, reports of appointment no-shows and cancellations are plentiful and growing. Last fall, health policy organization KFF and The New York Times, building on previous work, surveyed immigrant adults about their health and healthcare experiences since January 2025; 30% of parent respondents reported that children’s healthcare was delayed or skipped throughout this period (https://tinyurl.com/4y8r9dkc).

Siva Chinnadurai, MD, MPH, is a pediatric otolaryngologist and medical director of ear, nose, and throat, facial plastic surgery, and audiology at Children’s Minnesota, the largest freestanding pediatric health system in the state. Recent events in the region provide a vivid illustration of how increased federal immigration activity can adversely affect residents. According to Dr. Chinnadurai, disruptions to schools, businesses, and everyday life in Minnesota became evident shortly after Operation Metro Surge (the immigration enforcement operation initiated by the Department of Homeland Security) commenced in the Twin Cities area in December 2025.

“Soon afterward, we began to see rising levels of uncertainty, fear, and reluctance among families to come into the clinic for care,” Dr. Chinnadurai said. “Although we don’t have complete clarity of the specific reasons, we observed our patient no-show and cancellation rate climb significantly. Notably, in our Minneapolis clinic, missed appointments rose to over 35% in late December 2025 and early January 2026. In the week following the death of Renee Good, missed appointments jumped as high as 49%. We have also noticed a significant drop in outpatient volume, and many requests to shift surgeries and clinic appointments to our suburban locations.”