JOURNAL ARTICLE

Medical Care or Deportation: Examining Interior Border Checkpoints and Access to Higher-Level Medical Care for Undocumented Immigrants in South Texas.

  • Published In: American Journal of Public Health, 2025, v. 115, n. 3. P. 292 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Blackburn, Christine Crudo; Rico, Mayra; Hernandez, Jessica; Lee, Miryoung 3 of 3

Abstract

This article examines the impacts of interior border checkpoints (IBCs) on access to higher-level medical care via ground ambulance for undocumented immigrants in South Texas’s lower Rio Grande Valley. Since 2018, hospitals are required to notify U.S. Border Patrol of a patient’s undocumented status before transfer, resulting in Border Patrol accompanying patients during transport and sometimes preventing undocumented parents from accompanying their minor children. While these procedural changes have reduced ambulance delays at IBCs and streamlined transfers, the mandatory disclosure of immigration status may deter some undocumented patients from seeking necessary care, potentially exacerbating health disparities. The study highlights the tension between immigration enforcement and access to emergency medical services in this border region.

Additional Information

  • Source:American Journal of Public Health. 2025/03, Vol. 115, Issue 3, p292
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Geography and Cartography
  • Publication Date:2025
  • ISSN:0090-0036
  • DOI:10.2105/AJPH.2024.307927
  • Accession Number:182981249
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