White Memorial Hospital’s Half-Measure Response to ICE Interference Draws Sharp Criticism

Adventist Health White Memorial Hospital in Boyle Heights finds itself under fire after releasing a statement aimed at reassuring the public it respects patient privacy during Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids. The hospital says it has implemented policies allowing staff to ask ICE agents to step away during medical care and promises no retaliation for speaking up. But doctors on the ground and community advocates say these measures are little more than window dressing.

LAist’s investigation exposed how hospital administrators have effectively let ICE dictate terms, blocking doctors from properly treating detainees in emergency situations and restricting communication with patients’ families. Physicians report being forced to route family contact requests through hospital case managers who must then seek ICE’s approval — which can be denied — further endangering patient welfare.

The hospital’s new six-point policy statement, issued November 21, encourages staff to report violations and claims clinical teams “routinely ask ICE agents to leave the room.” Yet doctors tell Boyle Heights Beat ICE interference continues unabated. The hospital’s insistence on involving ICE in family communications raises serious concerns about patient rights and medical ethics.

Community groups like the Boyle Heights Immigrant Rights Network, including Proyecto Pastoral, have long demanded clear, unambiguous rules banning ICE from patient care areas. Executive Director Raquel Roman condemned the hospital’s approach as “grave ambiguity” that forces vulnerable patients to choose between their health and safety. “Hospitals need to be havens of healing,” Roman said.

The hospital’s response follows a November 5 meeting where community leaders presented demands to Adventist Health executives, including CEO Kerry Heinrich and White Memorial President John Raffoul. While the hospital issued a memo on November 12 outlining privacy protections and non-interference promises, advocates called it a “bare minimum” effort filled with loopholes.

White Memorial’s century-long presence in Boyle Heights and its affiliation with the Seventh-day Adventist Church add layers of moral responsibility. Yet the hospital’s failure to decisively shield patients from ICE’s overreach highlights a disturbing pattern of institutions acquiescing to authoritarian tactics at the expense of civil rights and medical care.

This ongoing controversy underscores the urgent need for hospitals to stand firmly against government abuses rather than enabling them. White Memorial’s half-measures leave staff and patients vulnerable, betraying the trust of a community already wary of immigration enforcement’s chilling impact on access to lifesaving care.