The removal of protected spaces for immigration has raised concerns among healthcare professionals, who fear that immigrants may be arrested by ICE agents near hospitals.
In January, the Trump administration reversed policies established during the Biden era that shielded certain locations—like hospitals, schools, and churches—from immigration enforcement. One state even introduced legislation to facilitate ICE operations in medical facilities.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is reportedly ramping up ICE actions at various locations, including hotels, restaurants, and farms, prompting nurses to worry that their workplaces might be targeted next.
“We were all anxious about the implications of this change,” said Michael Kennedy, a nurse based at a hospital near the U.S.-Mexico border. “Our primary concern was our patients and their well-being.”
Recent reports indicate that ICE has made a record number of arrests, with agents visible around courthouses and even stores in New York City. A workplace raid in Los Angeles disrupted a protest, drawing sharp criticism from the Trump administration.
Nurse Sandy Reding, who works in a Bakersfield hospital catering to farmworkers, shared her dismay. “There’s a lot of anxiety about ICE agents appearing alongside law enforcement. We’ve seen numerous reports on this,” she said.
Reding and her colleagues are apprehensive that heightened fears about ICE could prevent people from seeking necessary medical care. “If people delay treatment, it puts a significant strain on both the community and the healthcare system,” she warned. “And the outcomes can be dire.”
Nancy Hagan, an intensive care unit nurse at Maimonides Medical Center in New York, noted that these worries have had tangible effects at her hospital. A case in May involved a patient who delayed going to the emergency room for appendicitis, resulting in a burst appendix that complicated their health.
“If patients believe the hospital isn’t a safe place anymore, they will hesitate to seek treatment,” she mentioned.
Hagan, originally from Haiti, added that her hospital’s emergency department has seen a noticeable dip in patient numbers recently. Kennedy echoed this observation, noting that a normally busy trauma center in San Diego feels emptier than it should, attributing part of it to fears of ICE arrests.
“I struggle to see how these fears won’t impact someone’s decision to get medical attention,” he reflected. “I think many people are putting off care out of apprehension.”
ICE did not respond to inquiries regarding any arrests made around hospitals or their intent to do so in the future.
In January, the DHS announced the abolishment of previous guidelines that classified hospitals as “sensitive places” where immigration enforcement was restricted.
“The Trump administration is empowering our law enforcement and allowing them to exercise common sense,” a DHS spokesperson stated at that time.
The National Immigration Law Center, however, emphasizes that while these protections are no longer in place, immigrants still have fundamental rights. They advise that individuals should rely on basic constitutional protections available in such settings.
Meanwhile, the Emergency Medical Residents Association has prepared and distributed flyers providing guidance for healthcare workers on how to handle potential encounters with ICE agents within their facilities.
