In 2022, Doctors of the World launched the Border Health Program to meet escalating needs and build a hub of expertise for migrant and immigrant healthcare in the border region.

When Fear Becomes a Barrier to Healthcare

For migrants and immigrant families in El Paso, being in the United States does not always mean reaching safety or healthcare. Many face untreated injuries, chronic conditions, trauma, or interrupted medications—and even when care is available, fear of immigration enforcement can make people hesitant to seek it. Too often, treatable needs turn into emergencies, with harder prognoses and costlier care.

Providers feel that fear, too. When patients are afraid to enter a clinic, and providers worry about what could happen to their patients or themselves, the result is a breakdown in trust and access.

Care on the Front Lines in El Paso

Doctors of the World holds clinics at El Paso shelters and community spaces, offers on-call teleconsultations, and arranges diagnostic testing and specialist referrals.

We also help providers navigate the legal uncertainty around immigration enforcement through our Know Your Rights and Risks trainings, so fear doesn’t stop them from delivering the care they’re permitted to give. Now expanding from Texas across the country, these trainings reach medical students, ER doctors, and pediatricians alike.

Standing With People Affected by Detention

As more people in the region are held in immigration detention, our physicians conduct medical evaluations—from physical exams to mental health assessments—for people held inside, and we care for them once they leave through local shelters. We’ve also joined local and national efforts calling for accountability and an end to the expansion of detention in the region.

Your support makes this work possible—helping provide care to people who might otherwise go without it, and strengthening our advocacy for lasting change.