Mass. health care workers urge hospitals to protect immigrant patients

Following the Trump administration’s decision to end limits on immigration enforcement in “sensitive areas,” such as hospitals, schools, and churches, more than 400 health care workers at Massachusetts hospitals and health centers signed an open letter calling for health care institutions to protect immigrant patients and workers.

The letter, which was delivered Tuesday to seven Massachusetts health care executives and sponsored by the Health and Law Immigrant Solidarity Network, calls on the leaders to safeguard immigrants’ access to health care by implementing strong patient privacy policies, communicating to patients their institutions’ commitment to providing care for all, advocating for immigrant patients and workers, and building legal partnerships.

“A growing number of our patients are canceling or not coming to appointments and delaying medical care that they need,” the letter states. “Fear of seeking care during emergencies can be fatal, while delaying or interrupting treatment for chronic illnesses worsens health and increases cost.”

Physicians nationwide have already seen the impacts of increasing fear from patients who are immigrants, said Dr. Lara Jirmanus, a family physician in Greater Boston who helped spearhead the letter. Jirmanus said she’s heard numerous stories from colleagues practicing around the country about patients not going to hospitals and doctors’ offices for medical care due to the fear of exposing themselves to the threat of deportation. Such behavior leads to worsening health conditions, she said.

“We, as physicians, are called to care for all, and our ethical duty to serve our patients is under attack,” said Jirmanus, who is also the founder of the Health and Law Immigrant Solidarity Network. “These are stories that we’ve been hearing for years, but fear is at such a high right now.”

Health care institutions need to make it clear that they welcome and treat all patients regardless of their citizenship status to combat this fear around going to hospitals and health centers, said Jirmanus. This communication, she hopes, would also work to combat confusion about how the United States’ health care system works, with some people coming from countries where health care is government-run.

She and other providers have been working to find ways to accommodate immigrant patients, such as offering appointments over the phone, but it’s not always enough to provide the care they need.

“This is a moment, just as people are excited to see Harvard standing their ground, when health care systems need to speak up too, for their patients,” said Jirmanus.

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell issued guidance to the state’s health care providers in February, reaffirming that the institutions should continue to protect patient privacy and provide care regardless of immigration status.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Health care providers have said they remained committed to serving patients regardless of their immigration status, with several hospitals saying employees must contact hospital lawyers and security officials if immigration authorities show up.

The heightened immigration enforcement has had further impacts as well, said Jirmanus, in causing rising stress among immigrant communities that can worsen mental and physical health. She also cited the threat of placing further strain on the health care workforce. Nearly eight percent of New England’s medical staff were noncitizens in 2024, a recent study found.

“Immigrants make our communities and our health systems great,” said Jirmanus in a news release. “We call on our professional associations and our institutions to say ‘Hands off our hospitals. Hands off medicine.’”

Maren Halpin can be reached at [email protected].