Unhealthy effects

CBC reports that crackdowns on illegal immigrants may be creating a major public health risk as undocumented residents avoid medical care for fear of being deported:

Some Toronto doctors are asking the federal government to ease up on deportations after recent high-profile removals have spooked many illegal migrants into cancelling appointments at clinics serving the uninsured.

"If they keep pushing these people further underground, it's going to be not just a tragedy for these people's health but a huge public health concern down the road," said Dr. Meb Rashid, of Toronto's Access Alliance Multicultural Community Health Centre.

"This population is most vulnerable to infectious diseases such as typhoid, malaria, tuberculosis and HIV. If an epidemic breaks out, there's no way we'd be able to control that."...

No statistics are available, but physician volunteers say they noted an increase in the number of medical cancellations after several high-profile removals precipitated rampant rumours about deportation round-ups in public places.

Whatever one's view on how best to deal with the presence of illegal immigrants, there shouldn't be any doubt that both immigrants themselves, and Canadians in general, will be worse off if medical problems go untreated due to fear of deportation. And it shouldn't be too much to ask that the federal government respond to the fear with assurances that that immigrants won't have to choose between their health and their presence in Canada.