Undocumented immigration is a public health issue. And while policymakers generally choose to ignore the link between immigration and health, COVID-19 is finally forcing us to come to terms with the deadly cost of forcing more than 11 million residents to live in the US without legal documentation.
COVID-19 is a threat to everyone. In addition to spreading at a faster rate than the common flu, the novel coronavirus has been killing people at nearly 10 times the rate of the seasonal flu. Still, the virus has disproportionately impacted communities of color, and in particular, immigrants.
Since March, 2020 COVID has killed 71 people per every 100,000 residents. That rate rises to 79 per 100,000 in Latinx communities, compared to just 62 per 100,000 in white communities. And while Black (114/100,000) and Indigenous (108/100,000) communities report higher mortality rates, Latinos are by far the youngest population in the US, and thus, in theory, should be among the least at risk to COV