Soon after taking office, President Trump reversed longstanding policy that had protected against immigration enforcement in “sensitive locations” including health care facilities, schools, and places of worship. Following this recission, as well as an overall increase in enforcement activity, there have been reports of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents showing up at hospitals and other health care facilities. ICE presence at and around health care facilities has led to growing concerns among health care providers about the impacts on the health and safety of the community, including adults and children going without care. These actions sit against a backdrop of broad increased enforcement activity and policies restricting access to health coverage and care for immigrant families. Research shows that this environment has negative impacts on the mental and physical health of immigrant families, including the millions of U.S. citizen children living in them, as well as broader economic effects on communities.
KFF has conducted multiple surveys examining immigrants’ health and experiences amid the policy environment as part of its Surveys of Immigrants conducted since 2023. New data from the KFF Health Tracking Poll provides insights into how the general public views the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement polices in health care settings. Overall, it shows the public is split along partisan lines on the administration’s approach to immigration enforcement in health care facilities. Democrats and independents express concern over the administration’s tactics, whereas Republicans are largely not concerned. Majorities of Democrats and independents say they do not think ICE or Customs and Border Control (CBP) should be allowed to arrest or detain people in and around health care facilities, whereas a majority of Republicans say they should be allowed. On each of these measures, Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who support President Trump’s MAGA movement are much more likely to support these tactics or say they are not concerned than non-MAGA supporters.
A majority of the public say they are concerned about the Trump administration’s tactics and immigration enforcement activities in or around health care settings. This includes majorities of the public who say they are “very” or “somewhat” concerned about people who have been hospitalized after being detained by federal immigration officials not being allowed to contact their families (69%), ICE or CBP arresting or detaining people in health care settings (63%), and health care providers and officials sharing patients’ immigration status with ICE or CBP (59%).
While majorities of the public are concerned about each of these tactics, there are big differences by partisanship, with Democrats and independents more likely than Republicans, especially MAGA Republicans, to say they are concerned about these. For example, about nine in ten Democrats and three-quarters of independents say they are concerned about people who have been hospitalized after detainment not being allowed to contact their families, whereas four in ten Republicans express concern. There are larger divides by partisanship on the two other tactics asked about, with Democrats about three times as likely as Republicans to say they are concerned about ICE or CBP detaining people in or around hospitals, clinics, or other health care facilities (92% vs. 28%) and health officials, hospitals, or health care providers sharing patients’ immigration status with ICE or CBP (86% vs. 24%). For each of these immigration enforcement tactics, two-thirds or more of independents say they are “very” or “somewhat” concerned about them. There are also differences among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who support MAGA versus those who do not support the MAGA movement, with non-MAGA supporters at least twice as likely to say they are concerned about these tactics than MAGA supporters.
A majority of the public (56%) says ICE and CBP should not be allowed to arrest and detain people in or around hospitals, doctors’ offices or health clinics where they are seeking care, while about three in ten (28%) say they should be allowed, and one in six (16%) are “not sure.” There are stark divides by partisanship on this tactic. Nearly nine in ten (86%) Democrats and about six in ten (59%) independents say immigration enforcement activity should not be allowed in or around health care facilities, whereas six in ten Republicans say it should be allowed. But again among Republicans on this question, MAGA supporters are much more likely than non-MAGA supporters to say this tactic should be allowed (71% vs. 32%), and four in ten (41%) non-MAGA Republicans say it should not be allowed.
Two-thirds (65%) of adults say they are concerned that immigration enforcement activities in or around health care facilities may discourage some people from seeking needed medical care, while a third (34%) say they are not concerned. There are large differences by party identification on this topic, with about nine in ten Democrats (91%) and about seven in ten (69%) independents saying they are concerned about this, including three-quarters (76%) of Democrats who say they are “very concerned.” In contrast, most (65%) Republican say they are not concerned about this, including four in ten (41%) who say they are “not at all concerned.” However, there are stark divides by MAGA support among Republicans, with a majority of MAGA Republicans (76%) saying they are not concerned and a majority of non-MAGA Republicans (58%) saying they are concerned. Since the rescission of the “sensitive areas” policy and ramp up of ICE activity across the country, there have been reports of immigrants avoiding seeking medical care, which can lead to negative and costly health outcomes. Even prior to the recent uptick in public enforcement activity in areas such as Minneapolis and other parts of the country, the 2025 KFF/New York Times Survey of Immigrants found that many immigrants said they were avoiding seeking medical care due to concerns about drawing attention to someone’s immigration status. As of Fall 2025, 14% of immigrants overall said they have avoided seeking medical care since January 2025, rising to nearly half (48%) of likely undocumented immigrants.
