Healthcare workers in Michigan warned of a “chilling effect” as patients increasingly stay away from hospitals and clinics amid a rise in ICE agents showing up at medical facilities.
President Donald Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) goons are increasingly showing up in and around the state’s hospitals and clinics, healthcare providers and immigration advocates said during a press conference Tuesday, Bridge Michigan reported.
It follows the Trump administration’s rollback last year of prior protections that limited enforcement in so-called “sensitive locations.”
Dr. Lauren Snyder, a family physician in Michigan, said she’s having to monitor for what she described as a “basic fear of safety” during routine check-ups at her office, and adjust to the presence of ICE agents at her workplace.
“They are here,” she said.
The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center and the ACLU of Michigan held a briefing as they released new guidance to more than 400 hospitals and providers statewide in response to the rising ICE encounters. The 12-page document outlined how facilities should respond to law enforcement activity.
“Regardless of immigration status, patients remain entitled to necessary medical care under federal and state law,” said ACLU of Michigan staff attorney Ramis Wadood.
“By protecting patients from law enforcement and also ensuring that patients can understand their own access to help, patients can effectively not only retain their constitutional legal rights inside healthcare facilities but also promote access to care.”
Healthcare workers also described mounting anxiety. Citing data from health policy research firm KFF, Bridge Michigan reported that immigrants make up 9 percent of the state’s hospital workforce.
“The fear is definitely there,” said Yousef Rabhi, legislative director for the Michigan Nurses Association. “There could be risks even conducting their day-to-day job and caring for their patients.”
Doctors said an increase in ICE activity at healthcare facilities was driving away patients in need of care.
A survey by Physicians for Human Rights found 84 percent of healthcare workers reported significant or moderate decreases in patient visits since January 2025. There’s a “chilling effect” that’s affecting both documented and undocumented people, doctors said.
“Staff in a clinic where I work have expressed personal fears related to ICE raids despite their status as American citizens,” said Dr. Elliott Brannon, a family medicine resident in southeast Michigan. “Perhaps the most insidious impact of ICE, however, is for the patients that we don’t see.”
“No one should feel afraid to get the medical care that they need,” said Snyder.
Earlier this month, ICE agents arrested a 35-year-old father of three in Weslaco, Texas, while he was on his way to deliver milk to his newborn daughter in the NICU, MS NOW reported.
In a statement published in January, the American Medical Association (AMA) said it was “deeply concerned” by reports of ICE activity in and around hospitals and emergency rooms.
AMA said it’s “a tactic fueling fear among patients and hospital staff alike.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and DHS for comment.
The concerns came as Trump’s broader deployment of ICE goons faced scrutiny. Agents sent to assist at 14 major U.S. airports during a partial government shutdown were photographed standing and chatting in groups, sitting in cafes, and walking through terminals with food and drinks, while unpaid Transportation Security Administration officers continued screening passengers.
Officials acknowledged ICE agents were not trained to operate X-ray screening machines and were largely providing “extra security.” One DHS official told CBS News over the weekend: “I have no idea what we’re doing.”
Trump ally Steve Bannon suggested this week that the airport deployments could serve as a “test run” for ICE’s potential involvement in November’s midterm elections, sounding the alarm from voting rights advocates about possible voter intimidation.
