“Which Clinic? Pre-Covid or Post-Covid?”: Immigration Policy Uncertainty, Immigrant Serving Organization, and the Response to COVID-19

Abstract

Background: This article examines how immigration policy uncertainty during the Trump presidency shaped how immigrant serving organizations (ISOs) responded to the needs of immigrant community members in the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We draw on semi-structured interviews conducted over the summer of 2020 with 31 directors and program coordinators of ISOs and health clinics in three southern states (KY, NC, SC). Results: Responding to anti-immigrant policies laid the groundwork for organizations to respond quickly and nimbly to COVID-19 related upheavals. However, organizational flexibility may signal organizational precarity, especially given the long-term impacts of both Trump administration immigration policies and the COVID-19 pandemic. Discussion: Our findings underline how ISOs facilitate access to health and social services for immigrant families. Our findings suggest that this organizational adaptability may signal a relationship between organizational precarity and immigration policy uncertainty that could have an impact well beyond the pandemic.