How Trump’s immigration crackdown puts Americans’ healthcare at risk

‘Ali’, from Afghanistan, is a ‘stellar’ doctor caring for patients in under-served West Virginia – but like many other foreign medics, his US future is now in peril In a state plagued by high rates of cancer and low life expectancies, Ali’s colleagues say he’s exactly the kind of doctor West Virginia needs. Ali, who comes from Afghanistan, moved to the state in 2020 with a visa status that requires him to work in communities or hospitals without enough doctors. “I realized there is a shortage of physicians in general,” said Ali, who is in his late 30s and one day hopes to become a specialist and treat patients with cancers and other diseases in his adopted home, where the rolling hills remind him of rural Afghanistan. For now, he cares for patients at a large hospital in a coalfield region of the state. Continue reading...

Chris Caurla · Wed, Jun 17, 2026, 9:00 AM
US news | The Guardian

How Trump’s immigration crackdown puts Americans’ healthcare at risk

‘Ali’, from Afghanistan, is a ‘stellar’ doctor caring for patients in under-served West Virginia – but like many other foreign medics, his US future is now in peril

In a state plagued by high rates of cancer and low life expectancies, Ali’s colleagues say he’s exactly the kind of doctor West Virginia needs. Ali, who comes from Afghanistan, moved to the state in 2020 with a visa status that requires him to work in communities or hospitals without enough doctors.

“I realized there is a shortage of physicians in general,” said Ali, who is in his late 30s and one day hopes to become a specialist and treat patients with cancers and other diseases in his adopted home, where the rolling hills remind him of rural Afghanistan. For now, he cares for patients at a large hospital in a coalfield region of the state.

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