Fearing ICE, California's Immigrant Seniors Retreat From Social and Health Services | KQED

"People line up outside the Centro Latino de San Francisco, a civic center serving seniors and those with disabilities, to receive the free lunch that they offer in San Francisco on Aug. 14, 2025. Experts across the state are reporting that older patients and social service clients are staying home to avoid rampant immigration enforcement. (Courtesy of Matthew Busch/The Investigative Reporting Program)"

"When patients started cancelling appointments out of fear that Immigration and Customs Enforcement might arrest them on the street, St. John's Community Health in Los Angeles adapted. As the months passed, the home visitation program became more familiar to staff, who packed a van with fresh food and hygiene supplies to deliver through the clinic's Healthcare Without Fear program. Oloye estimates 40% of her patients are over age 50 and often behind on screenings like mammograms or colonoscopies."

"But health care and service providers in California who work with immigrants said they are concerned about the toll the Trump administration's immigration policy is having on their patients - many of whom are avoiding medical treatment and social programs because they fear immigration arrests or raids. Clinicians and social workers said they are particularly concerned for older immigrants and those with chronic conditions, for whom routine medical care is more critical."

Fear of immigration enforcement is prompting many immigrants, especially older adults, to cancel medical appointments and avoid social services. Community clinics have shifted to home visitation and delivery of food and hygiene supplies through programs like Healthcare Without Fear to reach patients who no longer come in. Clinic staff report that roughly 40% of some patient panels are over 50 and are behind on preventive screenings such as mammograms and colonoscopies. Providers warn that skipping routine care threatens management of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer. One 67-year-old naturalization attendee described a friend who suffered a fear-induced heart attack and now refuses to leave home.

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