AGA, other medical organizations respond to Trump’s immigration order
Organizations representing physicians and medical students have expressed their concern regarding President Trump’s executive order of Jan. 27 that curtails entry into the United States by travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries. The order also suspends for 120 days entry into the United States for all persons seeking refugee status, and it bars refugees from Syria indefinitely.
Following are direct excerpts from statements issued by medical organizations.
American Gastroenterological Association
Science and illness ignore borders and political divides. That is why AGA is concerned that the recent U.S. executive order on immigration could limit scientific exchange, delay patient care, and impair medical training.
AGA is committed to diversity, which we define as inclusive of race, ethnicity, and national origin. Diversity within training programs and laboratories in the United States built today’s practice of gastroenterology. Scientists from around the world publish in our journals, work in our laboratories, train in our programs, and present data at Digestive Disease Week.® This exchange leads to better patient care, and very sick patients travel to the U.S. from around the world for the best digestive health care.
In light of these concerns, AGA adds our support to a growing number of medical institutions urging the administration to consider the devastating impact of the executive order on the health of the nation that will result from turning away patients, health professionals, and researchers. The recent immigration policy is clearly detrimental to America’s leadership role in advancing health care, and to the standing of the United States within the international community.
American Academy of Family Physicians
“We are deeply concerned that steps your Administration has taken will have a chilling effect on our nation’s physician workforce, biomedical research, and global health. It is often America’s physicians who answer the call to assist people around the world when a public health crisis occurs. Imagine a world where physicians fail to answer the call of the needy because they fear they may not be able to return to their home and families in the United States.
Many family physicians are international medical graduates (IMG), who have completed all or part of their education and training in the United States. They are professionals who dedicate their careers to the service of their patients in communities large and small, urban and rural. In fact, 20% of our membership and over 25% of family medicine residents [comprise] IMGs. The AAFP applauds and supports wholly the contributions of these individual family physicians to their patients and communities and we celebrate their diversity.
We recognize that one of your primary responsibilities as President is to ensure the safety and security of the country and its citizens. This is, without question, a daunting responsibility. But we strongly urge that the methods of doing so be examined carefully, so that the many people who can add so much to our country through immigration have the opportunity to do so, and those who are doing so already are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.”
American Academy of Pediatrics
“The executive orders signed today are harmful to immigrant children and families throughout our country. Many of the children who will be most affected are the victims of unspeakable violence and have been exposed to trauma. Children do not immigrate, they flee. They are coming to the United States seeking safe haven in our country and they need our compassion and assistance. Broad scale expansion of family detention only exacerbates their suffering ... The AAP is non-partisan and pro-children. We urge President Trump and his administration to ensure that children and families who are fleeing violence and adversity can continue to seek refuge in our country. Immigrant children and families are an integral part of our communities and our nation, and they deserve to be cared for, treated with compassion, and celebrated. Most of all, they deserve to be healthy and safe. Pediatricians stand with the immigrant families we care for and will continue to advocate that their needs are met and prioritized.”
American Association of Medical Colleges
“The United States is facing a serious shortage of physicians. IMGs play an important role in U.S. health care, representing roughly 25% of the workforce. Current immigration pathways – including student, exchange-visitor, and employment visas – provide a balanced solution that improves health care access across the country through programs like the National Interest Waiver and the Conrad 30 J-1 Visa Waiver. In the last decade, Conrad 30 alone has directed nearly 10,000 physicians into rural and urban underserved communities. Impeding these U.S. immigration pathways jeopardizes critical access to high-quality physician care for our nation’s most vulnerable populations.
