In a strong response to recent anti-immigrant policies from President Trump’s administration, over 300 healthcare workers in Massachusetts have taken a stand by delivering an open letter to the state’s major hospitals and health systems.
The letter urges these institutions to uphold the sanctity of healthcare facilities and presents several demands that include enforcing patient privacy protections, establishing medical-legal partnerships to address the increasing legal needs of patients, and ensuring clear communication regarding patients’ rights to receive care, regardless of their immigration status.
Among the recipients of the letter are prominent organizations such as the Massachusetts Health and Hospitals Association, Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, Mass General Brigham, Beth Israel Lahey Health, UMass Memorial Health Care, Boston Medical Center Health System, and Baystate Health.
Dr. Lauren Kearney, a pulmonary and critical care physician in Boston, emphasized the importance of creating an environment where patients feel safe.
“Let patients know that they will be safe, because such a huge part of this is the fear that has been created by knowing that ICE could just come into a hospital system,” she explained.
Kearney also stressed the need for a collaborative approach across various institutions rather than a siloed one.
The initiative was organized by the Health and Law Immigrant Solidarity Network (HLISN), a coalition of medical and legal professionals along with community organizations advocating for a welcoming healthcare environment for all individuals.
Kearney highlighted the network’s collective strength, noting that institutions had previously been apprehensive about actions that could expose them to target status from immigration enforcement.
“[But] we’re not saying that a single institution is the safe place to get care. We’re all going to sign on and say, ‘We will protect you when you’re in our hospitals,’” she added.
The letter represents a direct response to the Trump administration’s recent directive to rescind protective measures that classified hospitals, churches, and schools as ‘safe zones’ against immigration enforcement.
“This is going to affect our immigrant patients in a way that we haven’t had to deal with before,” Kearney expressed, underscoring the gravity of the issue.
Despite the federal climate, Kearney believes healthcare workers and institutions can take meaningful steps to ensure patient safety.
She pointed to the Massachusetts Attorney General’s guidance, which provides a framework for how hospitals should respond when federal law enforcement seeks access to their facilities.
The guidance outlines measures such as designating areas within the hospital that are closed to the public, identifying a designated staff person for handling interactions with law enforcement, and ensuring sensitive patient information is not visible in public spaces.
The letter’s recipients have not yet provided comments when approached by The Scope for insights on their stance.
Moreover, Kearney hopes that this advocacy will yield a “downstream consequence” where patients see the media coverage and understand that “I’m not alone, and there are over … healthcare workers who are trying to do what they can to keep me safe.”
Many healthcare workers, including Kearney, have witnessed firsthand the emotional toll of the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant policies on their patients.
She recounted that she has seen a rise in emotional breakdowns among patients discussing their immigration status.
“The stresses of being an immigrant in the United States have always been there, but they’re just so much more palpable now,” Kearney observed.
Some of her colleagues face the challenge of patients failing to show up for scheduled care, exacerbating the healthcare crisis.
Kearney remarked that external factors significantly impact healthcare access, stating, “Everything that surrounds the patient, everything that’s happening in the patient outside the clinic, really affects their healthcare.”
Healthcare institutions across the country have historically committed to providing care to anyone in need, regardless of immigration status. Interestingly, nearly 20% of healthcare workers in the U.S. are immigrants themselves.
Kearney remarked, “None of us have hid what we’ve been doing for a long time. And so if they want to attack us, they’re going to attack us. And trying to hide, or even worse, comply in advance, is not going to lead us to where we want to be.”
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