As a NICU advocate and two neonatal intensive care (NICU) doctors who care for babies born premature or severely ill, we have noticed a troubling trend: Fewer immigrant parents are present in their baby’s hospital room. Parents, including those with legal status, are afraid to visit their infants, deterred by anti-immigrant rhetoric and fear of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions at children’s hospitals. This creates an impossible choice for families and can impact a baby’s health early in life.

Since 2011, health care facilities were considered “sensitive locations” where people could seek care without fear of immigration enforcement, including arrests, searches, or deportation. Earlier this year, the White House formally rescinded this policy, paving the way for an in

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