A new study is blaming Donald Trump for a decrease in immigrant children using health services - citing the trend as proof of the "chilling effect" of Trump's rhetoric and policies. 

Social scientists at the Boston University School of Public Health claim that, after 2016, immigrant parents were five percent less likely to take their children for wellness visits.

Trump's "chilling effect"

Lead author Stephanie Ettinger de Cuba describes herself as an expert in "health inequities experienced by families with very young children and immigrant families and their children."

She isn't hiding her agenda, citing the study as proof that America must do more to embrace immigrants and let them use public services.

"These results underscore the need for changes to both laws and regulations that recognize the individual and societal impact of ensuring immigrant families can meet all of their basic needs, including healthcare, without fear," Ettinger de Cuba said.

Under Trump, immigration did go down as a result of strict policies such as the public charge rule, which blocked immigrants who require government support to survive from getting green cards.

Trump's famous border wall was blasted as a symbol of "hate," and he was accused of keeping "kids in cages" as some compared immigrant detention centers to Nazi concentration camps.

Perhaps Trump's most controversial policy was his "zero tolerance" toward illegal border crossings, which led to some families being separated.

Biden's crisis

Of course, the politicization of "science" and "public health" that was laid bare during the COVID pandemic will leave many skeptical of this "study" and its politically charged claims.

Whatever the case may be, illegal immigrants clearly aren't afraid under the current president, whose open border policies have unleashed a historic crisis.

A massive influx of immigrants is putting an immense strain on public infrastructure like hospitals and schools - while fueling tensions between Biden and Democrats like New York City mayor Eric Adams, who warned immigrants will "destroy" the city before long.

The explosion of immigration under Biden may indeed represent the end of what the study's authors call the "chilling effect" of Trump.

"Words matter and have real-life consequences in campaigns and governance," Ettinger de Cuba added. "Much more work is needed to rebuild trust in immigrant communities."