Canceled and missed outpatient appointments rose sharply among Spanish-speaking families at a large Chicago pediatric center after the federal immigration enforcement surge known as Operation Midway Blitz, according to research presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics 2026 National Conference. The share of missed or canceled visits climbed 8.7 percentage points for Spanish-speaking patients, compared with 1.6 points for others.
The study reviewed ambulatory appointments from 2018 through 2025, including nearly 100,000 appointments scheduled after the operation began. Among Latino patients (the researchers used the term Latine), missed and canceled visits rose 4.2 percentage points, compared with 1.5 points for non-Latino patients, accounting for more than 1,258 missed appointments in the Latino group alone.
