The American College of Physicians, comprised of 143,000 internal medicine physicians, related subspecialists, and medical students, calls on physicians to speak out against policies aiming to deport the nation's undocumented population, according to Think Progress.
Here are four things to know:
1. Politicians pushing for mass deportation could instill more distrust in healthcare professionals by mandating non-citizen deportation. Between 2007 and 2013, hospitals deported 600 undocumented patients to their home countries because they did not have health insurance, leading many undocumented individuals to forgo much needed care.
2. The ACP feels reporting patients immigration status to the government is an "unacceptable, impermissible intrusion on the patient-physician relationship."
3. The ACP believes that physicians have a responsibility to treat patients regardless of legal status because of the medical profession's standards of ethics and professionalism.
4. Studies found deportation may increase the risk for emotional distress and reduced quality of health. Additionally, undocumented adolescents are at a higher risk of anxiety than their peers.
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