Outing the Immigrant

Interesting information from my research: There is a "duty to denounce" to the authorities the irregular (undocumented) situation of an immigrant, but it is not applicable to doctors and paramedics, who are bound by "professional secrecy." Yet, public officers and civil servants, even if working within the healthcare services, are obliged to report the the irregular status of an immigrant that they encounter during the course of their work. That's quite a dynamic, one I would think is not very conducive to the creation of trust I think is necessary within the field of healthcare. And in fact, there is evidence that this undermines the access to care for these immigrants in Germany.

I will try to explore why the Germans operate in this fashion, to what extent it is affecting the care of immigrant populations, and how this compares to federal and individual state policies and practices in the U.S. with regard to providing care to the undocumented.