Healthcare Professionals Across Europe Warn EU Migration Plans Threaten Public Health
More than 1,100 healthcare professionals from across Europe have urged Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to reject proposed measures aimed at increasing the deportation of undocumented people, warning they could threaten public health by transforming essential public services, including hospitals, into sites of immigration enforcement.
The draft plans, which are due to go to a vote, target people with no legal right to stay in the EU, including potentially sending them to offshore centers in non-EU countries. These measures stem from proposals laid out in March 2025 by the European Commission, and gained momentum following gains made by the far-right in the 2024 European parliament elections, as part of a broader effort to overhaul EU migration management .
Concerns Over Enforcement and Access to Care
Before the vote, doctors and nurses from countries including Portugal, Ireland, and Greece signed an open letter expressing concerns over the plans. The letter states, “We refuse to become instruments of immigration enforcement.”
Published in six languages and sent to MEPs, the letter argues the measures would have a wide-reaching impact, potentially “legitimising racial profiling, and turning schools, hospitals, shelters, workplaces, public transport and even private homes into sites of immigration enforcement.”
A key concern is a proposed requirement for member states to implement broad detection measures to identify undocumented people. The letter also warns that healthcare workers could be required to report undocumented people, potentially violating ethical duties to protect patient privacy and guarantee safe access to care.
Climate of Fear and Public Health Risks
Healthcare professionals fear the proposals will create a “climate of fear” that deters people from accessing care, ultimately risking everyone’s health. As the letter states, “When people are afraid to access care, everyone’s health is at risk.” This concern echoes experiences in countries like the US, where ICE-style raids have been linked to public health consequences .
In the UK, rules introduced in 2017 compel hospitals in England to charge most undocumented migrants upfront for many forms of hospital-based medical care. Anna Miller, head of UK policy and advocacy at Doctors of the World UK, notes that their clinics see patients “too afraid to go forward to the NHS in case it leads to an ICE-style raid at their home address.” She warns that the EU regulation risks creating the same climate of fear across the EU, with serious consequences for individuals and public health systems.
Detention and its Health Consequences
The proposed measures also raise concerns about increased detention, including of children, both within and outside Europe. The open letter highlights the well-documented health consequences of detention, including respiratory and infectious diseases, anxiety, depression, and increased risk of suicide. It emphasizes that detention is particularly harmful to children and prohibited under international law.
Call for Prioritizing Health Over Enforcement
Médecins du Monde, which organized the open letter, is calling on EU institutions to remove any provisions that could deter people from seeking healthcare. Andrea Soler of the organization states, “Migration enforcement cannot come at the expense of the right to health.” She emphasizes the EU must ensure its migration policies protect public health, uphold medical ethics, and guarantee safe access to healthcare for all, regardless of migration status.
Campaigners have also expressed concerns that the plans risk turning everyday spaces and public services into tools of immigration enforcement. Seventy-five rights organizations have warned the plans would “consolidate a punitive system, fuelled by far-right rhetoric and based on racialised suspicion, denunciation, detention and deportation” . Sixteen UN rights experts have also raised over a dozen concerns about the plans potentially contravening international human rights obligations .
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