Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act allowed states and localities to enforce federal immigration laws. This study finds that the state-level enforcement of this law has had an adverse impact on the use of pregnancy and childcare-related health services by Hispanic and Latina women.

The study, conducted in North Carolina, examined vital records data to understand the use of prenatal care by Hispanic/Latina women shortly before and after implementation of Section 287(g) in seven counties that signed on to participate in the program and seven counties that did not. To better understand the extent local immigration enforcement policies were related to access to and the use of public health services among Hispanic/Latinas, the research team also conducted focus groups and individual interviews with 83 Hispanic/Latino residents of three counties that had and three counties that had not implemented the 287(g) program.