In Minnesota, heightened federal immigration enforcement has triggered a healthcare crisis as immigrant patients forego essential medical care due to fear of detention, according to multiple healthcare providers speaking at a news conference in St. Paul. Among the alarming accounts shared were cases including a pregnant woman who avoided prenatal visits during the Trump administration’s intensified immigration scrutiny. She was later found by a nurse at home, in labor and close to delivery. Another patient with kidney cancer disappeared from immigration detention without access to prescribed medication, requiring legal intervention to attempt medication delivery, though his adherence remains uncertain. Additional reports involved a diabetic patient apprehensive about collecting insulin, and a patient with an infected wound whose delayed treatment led to intensive care admission. Beyond patient hardships, hospital employees from diverse backgrounds such as Latin America, Somalia, and Myanmar have reported fear preventing them from attending work.
"Our places of healing are under siege," stated Dr. Roli Dwivedi, past president of the Minnesota Academy of Family Physicians. At the conference held on Tuesday, physicians emphasized that these challenges are unprecedented in her 19-year practice, exceeding fears observed even at COVID-19 peaks.
Historically, immigration enforcement agencies avoided arresting individuals at sensitive locations like hospitals, schools, and churches, with such policies in place since 2011. That changed approximately one year ago when the Trump administration declared that federal immigration officials could conduct arrests inside these locations, ending their prior exclusion.
Physicians describe an intensifying atmosphere of fear and operational disorder. At Hennepin County Medical Center, a major trauma and safety-net hospital in downtown Minneapolis, doctors and nurses communicate concerns via encrypted messaging platforms. They recount multiple encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, including an incident wherein an ICE officer reportedly restrained a patient inappropriately. The hospital's emergency department is the busiest in Minnesota and serves many uninsured individuals, including undocumented immigrants. Healthcare staff reported frequent ICE presence around the hospital, focusing their inquiries on patients and workers of color, routinely requesting identification documents as they exit the facility.
One nurse, speaking anonymously due to authorization restrictions, expressed disbelief and distress over the necessity of such precautions against immigration enforcement, questioning how such practices became commonplace at a site of medical care.
In response, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin denied interference in medical care by immigration officers, stating ICE does not conduct enforcement within hospitals except in cases involving immediate public safety threats or when accompanying detainees. She attributed any obstacles to healthcare access to disruptive protests involving road blockades and property damage rather than ICE activity.
These medical access disruptions are not confined to Minnesota. Similar immigration enforcement enforcement measures have been reported in several states, particularly in those governed by Democratic administrations. Sandy Reding, vice president of the National Nurses United union and president of the California Nurses Association, confirmed significant avoidance of medical treatment by immigrant populations fearing enforcement, with some Southern California hospitals noting declines in patient numbers.
In Oregon, concerns raised by the Oregon Nurses Association point to ICE officials pressuring medical staff at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center to discharge detainees more rapidly than clinically advisable. The union's letter to hospital administrators described instances where physicians recommended continued hospitalization, but ICE directed removal, limiting detainees' participation in their care decisions. The hospital stated it has reviewed policies aimed at balancing compliance with state and federal laws while protecting affected communities and reaffirmed its commitment to care for all individuals irrespective of immigration status.
The surge in immigration enforcement began in late 2022 in Minnesota, escalating in January 2023 when the Department of Homeland Security deployed approximately 2,000 federal agents to the Minneapolis area in what was termed the largest immigration operation to date. Over 3,000 undocumented individuals have been detained during Operation Metro Surge. Medical providers highlight alarming impacts, with Dr. Erin Stevens, legislative chair of Minnesota’s American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists section, reporting missed prenatal care appointments and a notable rise in requests for home births, even among women for whom this option is unsafe.
The enforcement activities have exacerbated tensions in Minnesota's Twin Cities, prompting confrontations between immigration officers and activists, as well as disputes between municipal and federal authorities. These conflicts culminated tragically in the shooting death of a local mother by an ICE officer; federal authorities claimed self-defense while local officials called the shooting reckless and unnecessary.
The federal and state governments have traded accusations regarding responsibility for the heightened unrest. Most recently, a protest disrupted a church service in St. Paul where the pastor also leads the local ICE field office, with demonstrators vocally opposing the agency’s presence. Following this incident, the U.S. Department of Justice initiated a civil rights investigation into the church protest disturbance.