By Oscar Mendoza
When a parent in the San Fernando Valley struggles with depression or addiction, the greatest barrier to care should never be immigration status. Yet, for many undocumented Latino families in our community, legal eligibility determines whether they can access mental health or substance use treatment.
Federal rules tied to immigration policy prevent undocumented residents from accessing many publicly-funded behavioral health programs. Under current interpretations of federal law, more services are categorized as “public benefits,” which excludes undocumented individuals, even when they work, pay taxes and raise children in our neighborhoods.
Here in the valley, where Latino families make up a large share of the population, these restrictions carry real consequences. When someone delays care out of fear or ineligibility, mental health conditions worsen. Substance use disorders escalate. By the time families seek help, they often arrive in crisis rather than at the point of prevention.
Mixed-status households face especially painful decisions. Parents may avoid accessing services because they fear exposure or deportation. Meanwhile, their children, many of whom are U.S. citizens, experience emotional stress, financial instability and academic disruption. The cost of untreated behavioral health challenges spreads beyond individual households. Schools, emergency rooms and public safety systems all feel the impact.
Preventive care costs far less than crisis intervention. Federal budget priorities determine who qualifies for care and how funding flows to communities (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2015). When eligibility excludes undocumented residents, local neighborhoods carry the burden. Denying preventive behavioral health services does not eliminate need; it shifts costs to more expensive systems.
California has taken steps to expand access at the state level. However, state efforts operate within federal limits and cannot fully override national eligibility rules. As long as federal law restricts access, protections remain incomplete.
The Health Equity and Access under Law (HEAL) for Immigrant Families Act offers a practical solution. The HEAL Act would remove federal barriers that prevent immigrants – regardless of status – from accessing health coverage programs, including mental health and substance use treatment. Expanding eligibility is not about granting special privileges; it is about removing exclusions that push families into preventable crises.
Latino communities already face cultural stigma around mental health. When stigma is layered with fear of deportation and legal ineligibility, families often choose silence over support. This silence deepens suffering and isolates those who most need connection.
As a behavioral health professional, I see how policy shapes lived experience. When individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders cannot legally access treatment, recovery becomes harder and instability grows. Professionals who bring frontline knowledge into legislative discussions can influence meaningful change. Advocacy is not optional – it is part of ethical community care.
Opponents argue that expanding eligibility will increase public costs. Yet untreated mental illness and substance use lead to greater long-term expenses in emergency care, law enforcement and social services. Early access strengthens families, improves workforce participation and stabilizes communities.
In the San Fernando Valley, undocumented residents are our neighbors, coworkers and parents of children in our schools. They contribute to our local economy and civic life. Denying them access to behavioral health services does not make our community stronger. It makes it more fragile.
Congress should pass the HEAL for Immigrant Families Act. Healing should not depend on paperwork. It should depend on need.
Our valley thrives when families are stable, supported and healthy. Expanding access to care is not just compassionate; it is smart policy for a stronger community.
Oscar Mendoza is a Quality of Life Navigator at Alamo Health Management in Sylmar, serving individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. He is a graduate student in the School of Social Work at Our Lady of the Lake University, and has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from California State University, Northridge.
The HEAL for Immigrant Families Act is a bicameral federal bill, co-sponsored by 55 members of Congress and endorsed by over 100 organizations. It was reintroduced as H.R. 4104 in 2025.