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MCN Position Statement: Workplace Raids Threaten Health and Safety of Workers and Communities

/ 11 June 2025 / 0 Comments


As immigration enforcement broadens throughout the interior of the US, so do the threats to the health and safety of immigrant workers, their families, and entire communities. Multiple workplace raids in Los Angeles and across the nation have heightened fear among workers as well as employers. Working parents are making contingency plans for guardianship of their children, many of whom are US citizens. Businesses worry about having a sufficient labor force.  Clinicians and health centers report fewer patients showing up for care. The specific targeting of workers in immigration enforcement adds another layer of concern -- it makes workplaces less safe.  All working people, regardless of immigration status, have a right to a safe workplace.  Increased enforcement targeting the workplaces and workers impacts health and safety in several key ways:  

1. Workplace raids, and the fear of raids or deportation, create an atmosphere of trauma, fear, and anxiety. 

The mental health impact extends beyond the workplace into the homes in our immigrant communities, where entire families, regardless of immigration status, are experiencing chronic stress. This sustained emotional distress has well-documented physical health consequences, including increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, digestive issues, sleep disturbances, and stroke. 
 

2. It makes workplaces less safe.

Workers who fear deportation will hesitate to report dangerous working conditions or workplace abuse or simply not report them at all. The fear that their employer may target them by calling in immigration officials suppresses worker reporting of unsafe and hazardous conditions. This creates an atmosphere of intimidation that is dangerous for all workers because unsafe workplaces increase worker injury risk. 
 

3. It deters workers from getting medical care. 

Intimidated workers will delay treatment of injury and illness. Delayed treatment can lead to more severe health complications, the development of unnecessary drug resistance, longer recovery times, and greater costs to workers, families, and health systems. 
 

Migrant Clinicians Network stands for healthy and safe workplaces for all people, not just those with authorization to work. We encourage our clinical constituents to share mental health support resources with their patients and communities to reduce fear and increase communication between clinics and their communities. Visit our Witness to Witness page for a variety of resources on coping with stress and fear in English and Spanish. Visit Planes Utiles for extensive lists of Spanish- and English-language resources including sections for parents, children, farmworkers, and other specific groups. Clinicians can read National Immigration Law Center’s Health Care Providers and Immigration Enforcement: Know Your Rights, Know Your Patients’ Rights.