Interactions with immigration officers in the emergency department: A needs assessment

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) are federal government agencies responsible for the detention and deportation of immigrants in violation of federal immigration law. Both ICE and CBP have issued memoranda designating hospitals and other healthcare facilities as “sensitive locations” [1]. Because of this designation, they have recommended that immigration enforcement actions within these facilities be avoided, but is not prohibited [2]. Given the fragile nature of immigrants' willingness to seek medical care, inadequate protection of patient rights during an investigation on hospital grounds may also have a significant impact on the broader immigrant community's willingness to seek medical attention.