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Advocates worry about ICE in hospitals
Immigration advocates have concerns about ICE conducting operations inside hospitals. FOX 9's Mike Manzoni has more.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - In a rally outside Hennepin County Medical Center’s emergency room Tuesday afternoon, community leaders and health care workers called on the hospital to do more to stop immigration enforcement on its downtown Minneapolis campus.
Community leaders, health care workers rally outside HCMC over ICE concerns
What happened:
The advocacy group Unidos MN organized a rally outside Hennepin County Medical Center on Tuesday after an incident involving a patient and immigration agents last week. The group said federal agents "gained access to a patient" in the emergency room and shackled him to his bed despite not having a warrant.
The hospital, which indicated that federal agents arrived with the patient, said that agents were eventually asked to leave.
What they're saying:
Health care workers and community leaders called on the hospital to take action to stop immigration enforcement. They said even the fear of immigration agents has impacted treatment.
"They are afraid to come into the hospital. We are seeing a rash of appendicitis that should have been treated earlier, but people have been delaying care because of fear that ICE is going to show up at the hospital," said Dr. Janna Gewirtz O’Brien, a pediatrician. "I’m going to say that again — families are afraid to come in to get lifesaving, necessary treatment. "
State Rep. Mohamud Noor, DFL-Minneapolis, expressed concerns over the incident in the emergency room.
"Given that this is an individual with a high medical risk, that individual — if he was detained — he could have lost his life," he said. "So, what we’re talking about is respecting the rights of the individuals who are critically ill."
HCMC says it asked federal agents to leave property; announces review of policies
The response:
In a statement on Tuesday, Hennepin Healthcare said, in part: "In light of heightened public concern and evolving federal guidance around immigration enforcement in health care settings, we are reviewing and strengthening our procedures and policies to ensure they remain clear, consistent and aligned with our mission and values."
The hospital also confirmed that federal agents spent time on its campus last week but were eventually asked to leave.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to a request for comment.