The arrival of 2025 saw the inauguration of Donald Trump for his second term and his Administration’s takeover of the federal government. The confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health Secretary means that the Trump Administration is positioned to impose its policy choices on all aspects of the federal government under that wing, which includes the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In an early example of what these policy decisions may look like, the NIH released this statement detailing new policies relating to access to their campus by patients and study participants.
Going forward, noncitizens who do not possess a valid Green Card and who visit the NIH campus must register in advance with the NIH. This rule applies to both first-time visitors and those who had an established relationship with the NIH before 2025. Among other things, affected visitors are now required to disclose their full name, citizenship status, passport information, as well as any visa information if the visitor is from a country from which the United States requires a visa. Citizens of the United States and Green Card holders are not required to disclose this information to the NIH before visiting.
At the bottom of the notice, the NIH acknowledges that while the gathering of this information is for their records, that information will be accessible to other federal agencies. The most obvious implication of this policy change is that the Department of Homeland Security, which is the department under which immigration agencies operate (such as Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE)) theoretically can use the data collected from the NIH to identify fresh targets for prosecution and deportation.
One of the main functions of the NIH is to advance medical science by fostering research. Patients who have exhausted traditional options for treatment can take part in clinical trials that test new, experimental treatments that may offer hope. Insurance is not required to participate in all studies; participants are rather usually paid for their time, and healthy volunteers are often sought as well. As such, the NIH offers benefits to those who cannot otherwise afford to see a doctor, as well as to those who have already tried traditional options for treatment. When one considers that undocumented immigrants are more likely to fall within the lower economic classes and not carry health insurance compared to American citizens, the federal government seems to force an impossible choice: health, or home?
The Trump Administration has been forward in expressing its aim to deport undocumented immigrants en masse. This update in NIH policy comes on the heels of the Administration’s announcement of their intent to create a national registry for undocumented immigrants. However, as a side effect of these policy goals, medical research in the United States may be further hampered by the loss of a valuable resource: volunteers.