Immigration and its Technicalities: Do we know what we are talking about?

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Luis F. Salgado, BSME, JD, Salgado & Associates, 2200 California Street, NW, Washington, DC 20008, 202-783-1411, SalgadoLF@aol.com

Recent attention to the issues of immigrants, both documented and undocumented, is taking place in virtually all sectors of United States society. Much discussion about immigration law is being done without the benefit of real knowledge about what are requirements under law and how they are to be applied. Various state legislative and executive branch officials express frustration about the federal government not doing its job when it comes to controlling immigration. Legislation in some states has limited and/or eliminated health services to immigrants and/or have put onerous requirements for immigrants to qualify for such services. At the federal level, uncertainty about what to do in revising immigration status for the undocumented and new potential programs for bringing in workers from other countries is being discussed. Health for immigrants as a human right is losing focus on such important prevention measures as prenatal care for pregnant immigrant women. This session will bring attention to key aspects of this issue: what are the myths and misconceptions of the technicalities that are understood and/or misunderstood about immigration requirements; what are legal and health policy rights and concerns for serving immigrants in a context of cultural and linguistic differences; and what do immigrants perceive and experience when seeking health care and what elements of the U.S. health care systems result in access barriers across immigrant communities.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this presentation, the participants will be able to

1. Recognize the diversity of immigration categories to understand that immigration status has many facets to it.
2. Realize that many points made by the public media about immigration can be misleading and wrong.
3. Give a more rational context to immigration issues in being able to know that it is important to ask questions and not make assumptions about individuals’ immigration status.

Keywords: Immigration, Immigrants

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Immigrants’ Rights to Health in the U.S.A

The 134th Annual Meeting & Exposition (November 4-8, 2006) of APHA