State Sanctuary Policies and the Immigration Enforcement Activities Across U.S. Counties: Implications for Population Health
Clicks: 1
ID: 325028
2026
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This
article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score —
reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
Reader Engagement
0.0
/100
1 views
0 readers
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
Ranked #85 of 89 articles by views in Health Affairs Scholar
Most read
Least read
Bar heights use a square-root scale.
Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet mintedCreate a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.
5
SUSD
one-off · no wallet required
Abstract
Abstract Introduction Recent increases in U.S. immigration enforcement may contribute to an anti-immigrant environment that poses serious health and social risks. In response, several states have enacted sanctuary policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration authorities, though their population-level impacts remain unclear. This study estimated associations between state sanctuary policy enactment and county-level public program participation by baseline immigration enforcement. Methods County-level data from 2011-2023 were obtained from the American Community Survey and Syracuse Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. Outcomes included county-level Medicaid and SNAP participation. Sanctuary policies were modeled as a time-varying exposure using a staggered difference-in-differences framework, with analyses stratified by baseline immigration enforcement. Results We found no statistically significant association between sanctuary policy enactment and Medicaid or SNAP enrollment per 10,000 likely-eligible individuals in counties with high baseline enforcement; however, estimated percent changes were positive (Medicaid percent change: 28.6, 95% CI: -14.9, 94.3; SNAP: 9.9, 95% CI: -81.6, 557.5). In counties with low baseline enforcement, associations were not statistically significant, and estimates were smaller in magnitude. Conclusion These findings suggest protective immigration policies may partially mitigate chilling effects and promote engagement with social supports among eligible populations. However, estimates should be interpreted cautiously given the limited number of treated states.
| Reference Key |
openalex_W7203477036
Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using
SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
|
|---|---|
| Authors | Alexandra Eastus, Caroline Kravitz, Alina Schnake‐Mahl, Tamara Rushovich, Serenity Lita Lillibridge, Brent A. Langellier |
| Journal | Health Affairs Scholar |
| Year | 2026 |
| DOI |
10.1093/haschl/qxag212
|
| URL | |
| Keywords | Keywords not found |
Citations
No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.