Keeping Kids Safe: UW Professors/Doctors Share Policy Updates and Resources For Immigrants & Refugees

Posted on by in WCAAP News

Anisa Ibrahim, MD, FAAP
Medical Director, Harborview Pediatrics Clinic
Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington

Elizabeth Dawson-Hahn, MD, MPH, FAAP
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington
Attending Physician, Harborview Medical Center

With the start of this new federal administration January 20, 2025, we have witnessed several policy changes that deeply impact our families, community and clinic. We will endeavor to keep you up to date with policy developments, and welcome questions, additional resources, inputs and ideas. All of these changes have deep impacts for each of us in different ways. 

Below we will describe policy updates by immigration statuses because that is often how the policies are described, and we will note where we can what it means for our clinical programming and services. You can also learn more about policy developments here.

Refugees

Monday, January 20: An executive order suspended the US Refugee Resettlement Program through resettlement agencies and Welcome Corps. This means that we will not welcome more refugees to the United States for the next 90 days until it is re-evaluated by the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security, or longer if the program is not reinstated.

  • Monday, January 20: An executive order suspended the US Refugee Resettlement Program through resettlement agencies and Welcome Corps. This means that we will not welcome more refugees to the United States for the next 90 days until it is re-evaluated by the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security, or longer if the program is not reinstated.
  • Tuesday, January 21: The US State Department ordered all previously scheduled travel of refugees to be canceled affecting approximately 10,000 refugees with travel booked who were fully approved to travel to the US. This means that refugees who were fully vetted and waited a long time to get to the U.S. are left stranded, and in many cases their safety is in danger. This includes people who worked with the US military and alongside US NGOs in Afghanistan (SIV).
  • Friday, January 24: The US State Department issued a “stop work order” for organizations that support resettled refugees who have already arrived in the US; this includes critical support such as housing and employment assistance, registering children for school, and connecting refugees to healthcare. This means refugees who were invited to the US, went through years of security and medical clearances, and traveled here in recent months cannot access important services that help them become self-sufficient and contribute to our communities.
  • Saturday, January 25: The flights of Special Immigrant Visaholders (SIV) booked to come were cancelled.

Humanitarian Parolees

  • Monday, January 20: The humanitarian parole programs for Haitian, Cuban, Nicaraguan, and Venzuelans were stopped. We do not yet know how this will impact people from Afghanistan or Ukraine. People in these programs have no path to legal permanent residence.
  • Thursday, January 23: The Department of Homeland Security released a notice instructing immigration officials to assess the cases of individuals in the United States on humanitarian parole. The review will determine whether to revoke their parole status and initiate the process of deporting them back to their home countries. This applies to people who entered the U.S. through the Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans, possibly the Uniting for Ukraine program, as well as Afghans with parole status.

Asylees

Monday, January 20: CBP updated its website to state that the CBP One app will no longer allow inadmissible noncitizens to submit advance information and schedule appointments at 8 southwest border ports of entry. All outstanding appointments were cancelled.

Everyone

Immunization Requirements for All Adjustment of Status Applicants

Wednesday, January 22: USCIS published a notification stating that they will waive the COVID-19 immunization requirement for all adjustment of status applicants

Sensitive Locations for CBP and ICE

Tuesday, January 21: DHS and CBP rescind and supercede prior rulings about sensitive locations (including hospitals). The memorandum says that “bright line rules” regarding where immigration law enforcement can take place are unnecessary and that ICE and CBP may wish to offer further guidance of their own.

What does this mean for how we communicate with patients and families?

From our colleague, Dr. Raul Gutierrez in CA and Chair of AAP’s COICFH: “In the past week, there have been several media reports of immigration enforcement at or near school sites.  While we cannot verify these reports, the result is the same.  Children and families are fearful and anxious, which could result in chronic stress, somatic symptoms, and not attending school.  In addition, the threat of immigration enforcement in clinical settings can result in missed appointments and delays in care.  Here is more from NILC on the current policy: NILC Factsheet: Trump’s Rescission of Protected Areas Policies Undermines Safety for All”

This is a hard topic to speak about with families and often requires a relationship and some nuance. We would not recommend asking about people’s status and instead ask them if they have worries or concerns about changes in immigration policy and do they want to talk more about it? Based on their response you can decide whether to explore some of the resources below about family preparedness plans. We do not recommend documenting immigration status in the EHR.  

If you want to report immigration enforcement, the National Immigrant Legal Responders Alliance (NILRA) is accepting reports for tracking purposes. You can report anonymously, but NILRA can follow up if you provide your contact info. 

We are in communication with local and national organizations to mobilize and work collectively to advocate for the immigrant rights. We have come across many resources, many of which we will link below. If you come across any additional resources, please feel free to share.

Additional Resources