Immigration enforcement exposures and COVID-19 vaccine intentions among undocumented immigrants in California

COVID-19 vaccines are effective in preventing COVID-19 infection, disease, and death. However, there is no data about vaccine intentions among the 10.7 million undocumented immigrants in the US. This study examined the associations between immigration enforcement exposure and vaccine intentions among undocumented immigrants in California. This community-engaged study partnered with immigrant organizations across California during the COVID-19 pandemic to recruit 366 study participants to an online survey regarding their attitudes about the COVID-19 vaccine and past exposure with the immigration enforcement system. Data collection occurred from September 2020 – February 2021 before the vaccine became available. Overall, 65% of study participants indicated that they would definitely get the vaccine were it to become available. In multivariable logistic regressions, an increase in immigration enforcement scores were associated with a 12% decrease in vaccine acceptance (aOR = 0.88, CI: 0.78–0.99). Additionally, undocumented women were 3.09 times more likely to report vaccine acceptance compared to undocumented men (CI: 1.79–5.35) and undocumented Asians were 57% less likely to report vaccine acceptance compared to undocumented Latinx immigrants (aOR = 0.43, CI: 0.21–0.88). Exposure to the immigration enforcement system may undermine public health efforts to prevent further transmission of COVID-19 by reducing acceptability of vaccines among immigrant populations.