By Jonathan Salazar, M.Ed.
Senior Policy Analyst
September 25, 2026
In New Mexico, we know that our children are our greatest investment. When we invest in children early in life and make sure they have access to the care, resources and support they need, we help build a strong foundation for healthy development and life-long well-being.
New Mexico has made significant progress in improving the health and well-being of children and families. Lawmakers have increased access to healthcare providers through medical licensure compacts, made invested greatly in behavioral health and expanded access to doulas to support healthier pregnancies, births and outcomes for mothers and infants. These investments only make a difference if families feel safe accessing the care they need.
For immigrant and mixed-status families, increased immigration enforcement is creating a new barrier to healthcare: fear.
The possibility of encountering immigration officials can have a chilling effect on immigrant and mixed-status families, leading many families to avoid public spaces and services, miss critical pediatric appointments or delay or forgo necessary treatment as they fear the presence of immigration officers at or near health care facilities.
This is a reality that immigrant families in New Mexico know all too well. Just a few weeks ago, immigration officials detained multiple people in the parking lot of a Santa Fe health clinic, including a father who was accompanying his teenage daughter to a medical appointment. While this is said to have been one of the first reported immigration arrests at a health care facility in Santa Fe, it reflects a broader enforcement tactic that immigrant families across this country have increasingly become familiar with under the current federal administration.
Doctors, clinicians and health care providers across the country have reported increased immigration enforcement activity in hospitals, doctors’ offices and clinics. Many of them have noted that immigration arrests and detentions have deteriorated the health of children, reporting increased depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress among children in immigrant and mixed-status families.1
Approximately 1 in 4 children in New Mexico does not receive preventative medical care visits and in this current political climate, these disparities will worsen for children of immigrant and mixed status families.2
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84% of surveyed health care workers reported significant or moderate decreases in patient visits since January 2025 executive orders on immigration3 |
80% Increase in missed appointment rates among Spanish-speaking families during the immigration raids in Minneapolis4 |
51% Increase in reschedule requests for well-child visits during the immigration raids in Minneapolis5 |
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Preventative care is critical to keeping New Mexico’s children healthy. Routine check-ups help prevent illness, increase vaccination rates and give families and providers the opportunity to monitor a child’s health and development while addressing health concerns early on.6 These visits also help strengthen relationships between families and providers and help reduce reliance on emergency services, where delayed treatment can result in greater costs and more serious health concerns.7 Without regular access to preventative services, children in immigrant and mixed-status families are more likely to be undiagnosed and untreated for conditions and illnesses that will affect their health well into their adulthood.
At a time when immigrant children and families are facing increased targeting, surveillance and enforcement, state and local policymakers in New Mexico have stepped up to protect the dignity, safety and rights of immigrant families and communities. Cities and counties, such as Albuquerque, and Bernalillo and Doña Ana County, have taken important steps to protect access to essential services through city and county ordinances. Now, state policymakers have the opportunity to build on those efforts by passing statewide legislation that protects and requires a judicial warrant for immigration enforcement in certain sensitive locations, including schools, healthcare facilities, and community resource centers and direct service providers.
No child in New Mexico should forgo the care they need because of fear and no parent in New Mexico should have to choose between their child’s health or protecting their family. When families feel safe seeking care, our children live longer, more prosperous lives, our families are stronger and our communities are healthier. Because protecting access to health care is not only about protecting immigrant families; it is also about protecting the health and well-being of all of New Mexico’s children.