Logo image
Back
State Sanctuary Policies and the Immigration Enforcement Activities Across U.S. Counties: Implications for Population Health
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

State Sanctuary Policies and the Immigration Enforcement Activities Across U.S. Counties: Implications for Population Health

Alexandra Eastus, Caroline Kravitz, Alina Schnake-Mahl, Tamara Rushovich, Serenity Lita Lillibridge and Brent Langellier
Health affairs scholar, v 4(8), qxag212
14 Aug 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/haschl/qxag212
url
https://doi.org/10.1093/haschl/qxag212View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open

Abstract

immigration policy health equity immigration enforcement safety-net programs social determinants of health
Introduction Recent increases in US 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 to 2023 were obtained from the American Community Survey and Syracuse Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. Outcomes included county-level Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (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 that 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.

Metrics

3 Record Views

Details

Logo image