About 30% Of Houston's Residents Are Foreign-Born; Pollution, Heat & Immigration Raids Pushing Many Into Survival Mode

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Where Álvarez’s family lives is where much of Houston’s pollution ends up, tied to a 21-year life expectancy gap between the lower-income, primarily Black and brown residents on Houston’s east side and their wealthier, whiter neighbors on the west side of the city. This phenomenon is illustrated partly by something known as “the arrow” because of the shape relevant data make when displaying key indicators of wellbeing on a map of the city. If the arrow represents affluence, it points from the wealthy western neighborhoods to the east, where prosperity is lacking.Inside the arrow’s lines, if superimposed on a map, sit luxury stores, green spaces and the richest suburb in Texas, with the point of the arrow abruptly ending where it hits the downtown area. And just outside the arrow’s margins, to its south and east, where many of the city’s blue-collar immigrants live, poverty rates, childhood asthma rates, and the number of solid waste sites and facilities that use harmful chemicals are all higher, while markers of prosperity such as median home value and college degree attainment are lower.

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Inevitably, the more vulnerable immigrants were harmed at high rates by Hurricane Harvey. Nearly a quarter of participants in a study focused on Houston’s Vietnamese community said they suffered injuries or illness, while those with damaged homes were far more likely to endure poor mental health. Years later, after the derecho and Beryl, immigrant communities similarly grappled with their health because of mold and debris where they resided, Gonzalez said.“It is a hassle for folks to have to continue to try to go on with their regular lives when things in their home are literally falling apart,” they said.

In a 2017 survey of Texas gulf coast counties, nearly a quarter of immigrants said they could use more help getting the medical care they and their families needed. Over half did not have health insurance, and more than four in 10 didn’t have a doctor’s office to visit when sick, unless they went to the emergency room. Such barriers to healthcare access have only deepened with the second Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, which has hit Houston’s communities hard. Advocates have likened the ramped-up enforcement – and the fear it has engendered – to a disaster in itself.Since January 2025, 48% of likely undocumented immigrants, 14% of lawfully present immigrants and 8% of naturalized citizens across the country say they or their families have skipped out on medical care because of immigration-related fears, according to research by the KFF non-profit organization (formerly the Kaiser Family Foundation). The mass deportation campaign also has inherent health implications, putting additional stress on patients who are already struggling with chronic disease or mental health concerns.

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Originally from Mexico, Hilda has always lived in regions affected by hurricanes, and in Houston, she said, extreme weather is nothing new. But she has noticed an increase in the volatility around her in recent years – how dry it is usually, and then how much rain falls when the water finally comes. “That’s what has changed,” she said.Then there is industrial waste. Hilda pointed out one of Houston’s infamous “mountains” nearby – an unusual rise in the city’s low-lying, flat topography that usually means a grassed-over dump, despite looking natural to the untrained eye. Her local site is part of Houston’s long history of placing waste disposal and other polluting facilities in communities of color. An academic study published in 2023 found 40 out of 46 soil samples in north-east Houston showed chemical levels that suggested a potential risk for cancer, and lead levels in some of the samples were well above what is safe for children.

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https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/02/houston-texas-immigrants-ice-health-extreme-weather