When ICE shows up at the hospital
There’s a lot I’ve seen inside a hospital—but one thing that never gets easier? Watching law enforcement walk through those doors, not to bring someone for care, but to look for someone.
This week, ICE showed up at Dignity Health in Oxnard, California—a hospital where I’ve practiced. They brought two individuals into the ER. I can’t tell you if they were detainees or agents. That’s not just privacy law—it’s professional ethics. But here's what I can tell you:
My colleagues took care of them.
Because that’s what we do. No matter who you are, or what you’ve done.
I’ve treated people who committed truly evil acts. Killers. Abusers. People who make you question humanity. And still—we take care of them. Because medicine isn’t about judgment. It’s about care.
🏥 Hospitals Are Not Hunting Grounds
ICE has a policy on this—yes, even ICE. Hospitals are what they call “sensitive locations.” They’re supposed to be off-limits for enforcement actions, unless there’s a judicial warrant and prior approval.
And yet, the hospital had to close the main entrance to the ER so protestors and agents don’t start wandering into patient areas. Turning trauma bays into political battlegrounds. Making people wonder: Is it safe to come to the hospital at all?
🚨 We’ve Treated Detainees Before—Legally and Safely
Back when I was a surgeon at Maricopa County Hospital, we had an entire jail ward. Armed guards. Shackled patients. This isn’t new. We know how to treat people in custody while preserving safety and dignity.
But what ICE—and frankly, some protestors—are doing isn’t that. It’s theater. It's intimidation. And it's dangerous.
FBI, US Marshals, Local law enforcement have all arrested people in hospitals - and taken them into custody in the hospital and discharged to jail. That is fine. They don’t disrupt other patients, and we have special rooms for such arrangements.
🛑 No, Protestors Don’t Get a Free Pass Either
Let me be crystal clear: protest is a right. But not inside a hospital.
You block an ambulance bay? Someone dies.
You disrupt a trauma alert? You are part of the harm.
Take your signs outside. March. Chant. Vote. But don’t interfere with care.
⚖️ Medical Neutrality Isn’t Optional
When ICE raids, when protestors crowd hallways, when fear walks in before the patient does—we all lose.
Hospitals should be sanctuaries, not stages.
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