Emergency room visits by foreign-born patients at three Los Angeles County public hospitals dropped by more than 20% compared with visits by U.S.-born patients in the first four weeks after immigration enforcement expanded in June 2025. The finding comes from a study by University of Southern California researchers published Oct. 5, 2026, in JAMA Network Open.
The gap narrowed to 10% by October 2025, the end of the study period. The researchers also found that foreign-born patients who did come to the emergency department were admitted to the hospital at higher rates than U.S.-born patients, a pattern that raises questions about whether some people waited until they were sicker before seeking help.
