Federal immigration agents are showing up more and more at hospitals and clinics in California – creating chaos, fear, and real harm. “We have a level of privacy that we owe to patients and their families, and that has just been completely demolished with all of the involvement of ICE coming into hospitals,” Kate Mobeen, an ICU nurse at John Muir Medical Center, told CalMatters. 

In one instance, a woman had to be hospitalized after a medical emergency in ICE custody – agents had left her “handcuffed and covered in vomit” for over eight hours, according to a statement from her family. Still, uniformed men were stationed inside Glendale Memorial Hospital for two weeks, waiting to arrest her upon discharge. 

Families are being cut off from loved ones during emergencies, without explanation. Attorney Ali Saidi recalled a case at John Muir where he was told he wouldn’t be allowed to see a detained client, but that the man’s wife would be allowed to visit. But when she arrived, “the rules had somehow changed, and they said no family visit,” Saidi said.

When the wife made inquiries about her husband’s condition, he said hospital staff called the police. “There was a chilling effect,” he said. “Everyone was averting their eyes. You could tell the staff felt bad.” Hospital administration later implied that the detained man’s wife was “abusive, disruptive or threatening,” but Saidi said that conversations were respectful and no voices were raised.

Several ER nurses later told Mobeen that ICE agents were actually very aggressive with staff, leaving them “emotionally and physically upset.”

“It’s horrifying to not be able to tell patients’ family members how they are, what their status is,” Mobeen said.

Effects of ICE agents in hospitals

The harm goes beyond intimidation; it’s imposing and disruptive to care. Biden-era guidance prevented ICE from operating in spaces like hospitals – guidance that President Trump revoked on his first day back in office. These federal agents now have a licence to do the president’s bidding by any means necessary, without fear of punishment for causing harm.Some limits remain –  exam rooms and treatment areas are supposed to be private unless there’s a federal warrant – but if a patient is already in ICE custody, protocol becomes unclear and hard to maintain.

All this means staff are left confused and vulnerable. Some health workers are trying to fill that gap with Know Your Rights training, like Adriana Rugeles-Ortiz, who has been leading sessions in her local area as part of her union. More guidance and training would also be welcome to ER physician Douglas Yoshida. “We need to deliver good health care to these patients, just like any other patient, and we need to protect their rights,” he said. He says he wants to do “everything [he] can to help” within the limits of the law.

But, as Yoshida says, “we’re in uncharted territory.” 

At Ontario Advanced Surgical Center in Southern California, two health workers moved to protect a man believed to be a patient by blocking an agent who barged in, asking for a warrant and identification. They were charged with assaulting a federal officer and conspiring to prevent a federal officer from performing their duties.

Such harsh consequences place health workers in a “precarious” and “dangerous situation” said Carlos Juárez, defense attorney for one of the workers. “They did what they needed to do and what they had a right to do,” Juárez said. “What I hope is it doesn’t have a chilling effect on other health care workers.”