Related videos:
Families and lawyers report that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and some medical institutions in the United States hinder the location and contact with detained migrants who are hospitalized, using protocols that conceal their identity and restrict basic information.
The findings were collected in a report published this Saturday by KFF Health News, and replicated by the broadcaster Telemundo, which documents how hospitals register patients in immigration custody under pseudonyms, remove their names from directories, or prohibit confirming whether they are hospitalized, leaving family members and legal advocates without information about their health status or whereabouts.
The case of Julio César Peña, arrested outside his home in Glendale, California, illustrates the problem. After suffering a stroke while in ICE custody, he was hospitalized without his wife or lawyer being informed about which facility he was in.
According to the testimony, Peña remained handcuffed to the bed and with agents present even during brief monitored phone calls.
Immigration attorneys argue that these practices allow ICE to determine how much contact a detainee has with their family or legal representation, which they believe undermines the constitutional right to legal counsel and leaves patients in a state of extreme helplessness.
Consulted hospitals argue that the measures aim to protect safety and privacy, although healthcare workers acknowledge that they hinder their clinical work.
The phenomenon occurs in a context of rising immigration arrests since the return of Donald Trump to the White House.
According to data cited by KFF Health News, more than 350,000 people have been detained by immigration authorities, and reports of transfers to hospitals due to pre-existing illnesses or injuries sustained during arrests or detentions are on the rise.
Although states like California, Colorado, and Maryland have passed laws to limit immigration operations in hospitals, these regulations do not protect individuals who are already in ICE custody.
There are no public statistics on how many detainees are hospitalized, but the agency itself acknowledges that 32 people died in immigration custody in 2025 and at least six more have died so far this year.
Medical and civil rights organizations warn that the so-called "blackout procedures" create a legal gray area that facilitates abuse, poor medical care, and the prolonged isolation of severely ill individuals.
"Allow patients to disappear from the system," warned a doctor cited in the report, while lawyers demand clear rules that prioritize basic rights over cooperation with immigration authorities.
Filed under: