Immigration agents’ growing presence in California hospitals has sparked privacy concerns, disrupted patient care, and led to federal charges against two healthcare workers.
Federal immigration agents are increasingly showing up at California hospitals as the Trump administration intensifies deportations, prompting fears among patients, families and health workers.
Agents have appeared in emergency rooms, waited in lobbies, and even pursued detainees into treatment centers. In one case, ICE officers waited two weeks at a Los Angeles-area hospital for a woman’s discharge. Advocates say the presence of armed officers creates fear and discourages immigrants from seeking care.
“This is nothing new to hospitals,” said Lois Richardson of the California Hospital Association. “We get inmates, detainees, arrestees all the time… The job for hospital workers remains to provide care.” But nurses like Kate Mobeen of John Muir Medical Center argue patient privacy is being eroded: “It creates just a huge sense of fear, not only in our patient population, but in our employee population.”
Attorneys and immigrant advocates warn that hospitals sometimes enforce visitation rules inconsistently when detainees are involved, leaving families unable to see loved ones or obtain medical updates. Critics say this undermines patient privacy rights guaranteed under HIPAA and state law, while also placing healthcare workers in difficult positions when federal agents insist on access.
Concerns intensified after ICE agents chased a man into Ontario Advanced Surgical Center in July. Two staff, Danielle Davila and Jose Ortega, confronted officers and were indicted last week for assaulting a federal agent. Their trial is scheduled for October 6.
Hospitals argue they must balance patient rights with security requirements, but advocates insist clearer protections are urgently needed.