President Donald Trump’s efforts to significantly restrict immigration have extended the presence of immigration enforcement officers to schools, churches and hospitals. The administration is also rolling back funding for organizations that provide services for immigrants, as well as states and cities with legal protections. These policies have raised the risks that immigration restrictions and limited abortion access present to the health and well-being of pregnant undocumented people.

As a result, people in fear of deportation may avoid hospitals when they face pregnancy complications, or they may attempt to move to another state with protections for reproductive care, which could further put them in the crosshairs of immigration or law enforcement officials. The 19th spoke to Paula Ávila-Guillén, a Colombian human rights lawyer and executive director at the Women’s Equality Center, about the intersections between abortion access and immigration, the effect of the second Trump administration so far and how national abortion groups can elevate the perspectives of immigrants. Her group, which is based in New York, focuses on supporting reproductive justice work and messaging in Latin America and the Caribbean — work that also affects people in the United States.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Candice Norwood: It’s been almost three years since federal abortion protections were overturned. What are some of the ways that you have seen state abortion restrictions affecting undocumented pregnant people?

Paula Ávila-Guillén: There are multiple layers. We are already seeing data that’s coming out of Texas that there is a spike in sepsis, which is a condition that starts creating an infection in your entire body and is one of the main causes of maternal mortality across the world. Sepsis is something that unfortunately we see often in countries that have total abortion bans and significant restrictions. So, one consequence is death from sepsis, or maybe you don’t die, but you can develop other health issues because you are afraid to go to the doctor for treatment.

Read the full article about the experiences of pregnant migrants by Candice Norwood at The 19th.