On the Heights: July 2025
Departmental news, research highlights, community achievements, and more to help you stay connected with the Michigan Public Health community.
Immigration
Farms need to recruit US residents before hiring foreign farmworkers. Some skip that step, lawsuits allege.
Lisbeth Iglesias-Ríos and Alexis Handal discuss Michigan Farmworker Project
Farms are allowed to hire foreign workers through the H-2A visa program to help fill labor gaps. But, as several recent lawsuits and federal investigations show, some farms favored H-2A farmworkers over U.S.-based farmworkers willing to do the job.
Michigan Farmworker Project seeks to improve social and environmental health for marginalized population
Q&A with Alexis Handal and Lisbeth Iglesias-Rios
Led by University of Michigan School of Public Health social epidemiologists Alexis Handal and Lisbeth Iglesias-Rios, the Michigan Farmworker Project (MFP) is a community-based participatory research initiative aimed at improving the social and environmental health of Michigan’s farmworker population, who play a critical role in the state’s food supply chain. Handal and Iglesias-Rios discuss their work.
IN THE NEWS: Researchers: We're Already Seeing the Effects of Trump's Green Card Rule
New Op/Ed from Paul Fleming and William Lopez
The Trump administration has finalized a new rule for green card applications to emphasize an applicant’s wealth and ability to avoid using public benefits in order to obtain legal status. It is having a significant impact on whether U.S. citizens, current green card holders, and others are willing to access health care, nutritious foods, or affordable housing.
IN THE NEWS: Educators: The Unsung Heroes Supporting Immigrant Families in Wake of Ice Raids
New Op/Ed from William Lopez
In a new op/ed for The Hill, William Lopez discusses his research into the impact immigration raids have had on children in affected communities and what role educators play in helping them cope.
Impact of the 2016 Election on the Health of Immigrant Families in Southeast Michigan
New Research from Paul Fleming
Due to increased vigilance and fear of family separation through deportation or detention since the 2016 presidential election, immigrant families have changed their behaviors in ways that may negatively impact their health, according to research from the University of Michigan.