Description

Introduction: Thousands of migrant women of reproductive age and their children have been stranded or had asylum proceedings delayed at the San Ysidro U.S. port of entry under the confluence of immigration policy (i.e., Title 42 ‘Remain in Mexico’) and the COVID-19 pandemic. The health impacts of this have not been well-documented. We aim to explore the lived experiences of recently arrived refugee and asylum-seeking women who accessed or attempted to access reproductive and infant health care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tijuana. Methods: This qualitative research was conducted in partnership with Al Otro Lado, a community-based non-profit organization in Tijuana, Mexico. Participants were recruited from their Mother-Baby assistance program. 34 semi-structured, in-depth interviews were completed in Spanish. Women were eligible to participate if they were between the ages of 18-54, actively seeking or planning to seek asylum to the U.S. and had been pregnant or postpartum after March 2020. Results: In preliminary analysis, a majority of participants reported one or more unplanned or unwanted pregnancies. Exposure to food insecurity, poor accommodations, and violence contributed to difficult or high-risk pregnancies. Pandemic-related restrictions imposed by public clinics and hospitals disrupted service access, contributing to staffing and bed shortages and delayed access to care, which was particularly impactful for laboring women. Participants encountered obstetric violence and mistreatment from health care providers in Tijuana. Conclusions: There appears to be an unmet need for safe, accessible, sexual, reproductive, and infant health care services for asylum-seeking women and their children. The pandemic has only exacerbated health inequalities for this already marginalized population.