Hundreds of Minnesota doctors are speaking out about the negative impact of recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions on the state’s medical clinics.
“We are witnessing what fear can do to public health,” writes Dr. Bernard E. Trappey, on behalf of Minnesota Voices Physicians letter to New England Journal of Medicine, It was published on January 29. Nearly 600 physicians representing a wide range of specialties and care settings signed the letter demanding an end to ICE’s disruption of medical care in the state.
“In Minnesota, we find ourselves in an extremely dangerous time. With the increased presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement here, our clinical schedules are filled with missed appointments. The number of patients in our emergency departments (EDs) has decreased.”
Fear prevails
“Each of these missing patients represents a missed opportunity: an opportunity to intervene, make a diagnosis, start or change treatment, or change the course of a chronic disease.”
The letter emphasizes that not only undocumented immigrants are refusing to seek medical care. U.S. citizens, as well as immigrants and refugees who are here legally, especially if they are black or brown or speak English as a second language, are refusing health care for fear of being arrested by ICE.
“These are patients who are afraid. When we call to check on them, they tell us they’re afraid to leave their homes. They’re afraid to drive. They’re afraid to get on the bus. They’re afraid that walking from the parking lot to the clinic — the place they’re supposed to be treated — could put them and their families at risk,” the NEJM letter notes.
Minnesota Physician Voices represents a wide range of physicians, some of whom work in large health systems or academic health centers, while others are in private practice or serve at VA clinics, federally qualified health centers, or with the Indian Health Service.
Since Operation Metro Surge began in the Twin Cities in early December, ICE has detained nearly 3,000 people, according to official figures. Some owners say that this is a rough estimate.
A disturbing presence
The reported numbers are aggregate statistics and do not vary by location or location, so there is no specific data on the number of ICE-related conflicts that occur in medical facilities. But health care workers in the Twin Cities say the presence of ICE agents — often without proper warrants — in and around their clinics has become all too common.
In a widely publicized eventICE agents entered the Hennepin County Medical Center with an individual in custody, stayed at the individual’s bedside and handcuffed him to the bed for more than 24 hours. The agents did not have an arrest warrant and left the facility only after hospital security asked to see the documents.
Hennepin County Hospital, too a 31-year-old man named Alberto Castaneda admitted Mondragon for a serious head injury. that occurred while in ICE custody. ICE officials claim the injuries occurred after Mondragon “deliberately ran headfirst into a brick wall” while handcuffed in an attempt to escape arrest. Hospital medical staff as well as a forensic pathologist cited in the case dispute ICE’s explanation.
Mondragon, from Veracruz, Mexico, had valid immigration documents to enter the U.S. in 2022 and no criminal record.
In a January 22, 2026 report on the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder news siteHennepin Healthcare employees have argued that ICE agents have become a common and intimidating presence in their workplace.
“Our employees fear for their safety and the safety of patients. This is causing tremendous disruption to work at Hennepin Healthcare,” said Brian Mutlaya, MD, MPH, a hospitalist at the center.
“They tell us they’re afraid to leave their homes. They’re afraid to drive. They’re afraid to get on the bus. They’re afraid to walk from the parking lot to the clinic.”
– Bernard E. Trappei, MD
Internist Kathleen Wilcox told MSR that ICE agents routinely violate HIPAA and have no regard for privacy. “The ICE detainees were brought into the stabilization room, which is a large space with four beds. People who are desperately trying to stabilize before being transferred to the medical unit or ICU can see everything around them, and ICE has avoided the bedside during care.”
Wilcox added that the officers “are there without a valid warrant, without legal authorization, without a permit. Our security asked them to leave. They refused and said they had weapons.”
No-Shows Soar
Clinicians and administrators say cancellations and appointments have increased since December, when ICE raids began. This is especially true in clinics serving large Latino/Hispanic and Somali communities. according to a report that has just been published American Journal of Managed Caresome clinics do not show up to 60% of all scheduled appointments.
At Hennepin County Medical Center’s ObGyn Clinic, 85% did not show up. “We have patients who are afraid to come in. They’re afraid to have family support during labor, one of the most vulnerable times for a woman,” staff nurse Gina Brown told MSR.
“Extreme Concerns” of Clinicians
On January 20, dozens of Minnesota doctors gathered for a live press conference to talk about what they see in the clinical trenches.
“Patients are afraid to seek care. When they come in, ICE harasses them with legal or justifiable means. Our health care workers are intimidated and afraid of the good work they have to do.
Klein thanked his medical colleagues for expressing “deep concern” about the chilling effect of ICE raids on state clinics. “It’s unbearable for us as practitioners, and I’m sure it’s unbearable for the good people of Minnesota who know how health care works in this state.”
He added that in his previous position at the Hennepin County Hospital, he had a lot of experience with patients who were involved with law enforcement for one reason or another. But he has never witnessed the kind of threats, abuse, and rights violations that he and other doctors are witnessing now with ICE.
Some clinics show up to 60% of all scheduled appointments.
Jana Gewurtz O’Brien, who represented the Minnesota chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics at the press conference, said the ICE operation in Minneapolis had a particularly negative impact on the city’s children.
“We saw children facing off in front of public schools and in bundles. Teenagers were torn from their homes, without coats, in sub-zero weather, without their parents present,” said Gewurts O’Brien.
“When ICE agents are in and around our hospitals, which we know they are … myself included, parents are afraid to come in. Medical settings are supposed to be safe places of healing. We need ICE out of health care.”
In his letter to NEJMDr. Trapi also highlighted the profound negative impact of ICE’s actions on some families with young children. “In our clinics, there are missed vaccinations, repeated treatments for seizures, diabetes, developmental delays, complex medical conditions. In the neonatal intensive care unit, we are next to baskets of heavy babies whose parents come to the hospital in fear to comfort them.”
As they worry about the well-being of their patients, many of the state’s medical professionals have their own fears of ICE, given that immigrants and black people make up a large portion of the medical workforce..
Refusal to care isn’t just a moral issue, it’s a medical one, says Trapi. “We know what happens when we ignore the signs of a medical crisis… We’ve seen the cost of waiting: appendages rupture, mild infections turn into life-threatening sepsis, patients end up on ventilators in the ICU because they can’t get the drugs they need.”
He stressed that Minnesota medical professionals are doing everything they can to help their patients cope with a very turbulent and stressful situation. “We visit shelters, organize emergency hotlines. We deliver medicines, food and diapers to those who cannot safely leave their homes. When patients to do Come see us, we’ll make sure they leave with enough medicine to (hopefully) survive this crisis.”
As they worry about the well-being of their patients, many of the state’s medical professionals have their own fears of ICE, given that immigrants and black people make up a large portion of the health care workforce and that ICE’s actions are often reckless.
“Some of us are leaving our homes to care for the people of Minnesota, knowing that today may be the day when the amount of melanin in our skin exceeds the degrees we’ve earned and the people we’ve healed,” the NEJM letter said.
As of this writing, the Trump administration’s “border king” Tom Homan has stated that he ending ICE operations in Minnesota. This follows an earlier layoff of 700 ICE agents, about a quarter of the total staff stationed in the Twin Cities.
Although the end of “Operation Metro Surge” will go a long way to end the unrest that has ravaged the region for more than 2 months, the negative effects of the crisis will likely ripple through the city’s health sector for months and even years to come.
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