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

Blackburn, Christine Crudo; Rico, Mayra; Hernandez, Jessica; Lee, Miryoung · Am J Public Health · 2025

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Abstract

We examined the impacts of interior border checkpoints on access to higher-level medical care via ground ambulance for undocumented immigrants in South Texas. Using purposive sampling, we conducted interviews (n = 30) with ground ambulance personnel in the lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas. Procedures implemented in 2018 mandate that hospitals notify Border Patrol of a patient's legal status before transfer. Undocumented immigrants cannot access higher-level medical care through ground ambulance transport without notifying Border Patrol. (<i>Am J Public Health</i>. 2025;115(3):292-295. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307927).

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