Minnesotans Are Afraid to Access Healthcare Amid Massive ICE Surge

By Sunita Sohrabji

Two American citizens residing in Minnesota were fatally shot by ICE agents this month amid an uptick of immigration enforcement known as “Operation Metro Surge.”

Thousands of people took to the streets of Minneapolis to demand that ICE cease its immigration enforcement activities in the state (MNStandUp photo via Facebook)

WASHINGTON, DC — Minnesota residents are fearful of accessing health care as ICE agents conduct massive immigration enforcement sweeps, said Minnesota Rep. Kelly Morrison.

“This is a very dangerous and scary moment for our immigrant communities in Minnesota,” said Morrison, a Democrat, in a Jan. 22 interview with American Community Media on the sidelines of Families USA’s annual Health Action Conference here. “They are afraid for their safety. So they are avoiding and delaying access to care.”

”Many of their neighbors are trying to assist them: to get them safely to the care that they need,” she said.

“We are seeing so many Minnesotans stand up for their neighbors — regardless of their immigration status — to protect them from what feels like an invasion of ICE agents into our state,” stated Morrison. The congresswoman is the first and only pro-choice OB-GYN to serve in Congress.

Others at the two-day conference noted that the fear of accessing health care has spread even among citizens, who are nervous about interacting with ICE.

Fatal Shootings

In a Jan. 19 statement, ICE noted it has arrested over 10,000 people in Minnesota, including 3,000 in the past 6 weeks. The agency has justified ICE agents’ fatal shootings of Renee Good on Jan. 7 and Alex Pretti Jan. 24, claiming that both were ”domestic terrorists.” Good was a mother of 3 and a poet. Pretti was an ICU nurse who worked with the Minnesota Veterans Administration health care system.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has stated that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey “refuse to protect their own people and instead protect criminals.”

Immediate Withdrawal

At a press conference Jan. 25, Walz demanded ICE immediately withdraw from his state. He said the mission — known as “Operation Metro Surge” was both dangerous and overreaching.

“You know what you saw,” said Walz of the video footage related to Pretti’s death, which shows the nurse attempting to help a woman who had been shoved to the ground by ICE agents.

Pretti was pepper sprayed before being shot multiple times. A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order barring federal officials from tampering with any evidence related to Pretti’s death.

ICE agent Jonathan Ross, who fatally shot Good, will not be investigated in a criminal case, the Justice Department has said, noting there is “no basis” for an investigation.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit Jan. 12 which seeks to remove ICE agents from the state.

Thousands of people across the US have taken to the streets to protest what many have called ICE’s extrajudicial killings.

‘Chaos and Instability’

Hospitals in Minnesota have raised the alarm bell, saying ICE agents are interfering with their ability to care for their patients, said Morrison, in her remarks onstage. “A disturbing element of the chaos and instability this administration has created is their practice of twisting valid concerns and sincere hopes for a healthier America into harmful policies that endanger our nation’s health and safety,” she said.

”They’ve twisted parents’ legitimate concern for their children, sincere efforts to reform our immigration system, and the valid pursuit of responsibly preventing fraud to advance an agenda that leaves American families poorer, sicker, and less safe,” said Morrison. “Their bad faith attempts to scapegoat and vilify immigrants, doctors, civil servants, educators, and so many others make the work of pushing against their vitriol and humanizing healthcare access that much more critical.”

Public Charge

Staci Lofton, director of Health Equity at Families USA, noted that many immigrant families have already dropped out of health care for fear of invoking the public charge rule. The rule — which President Donald Trump attempted to invoke during his 1st term — allows immigration officials to deny permanent legal status to anyone they believe will be dependent on federal benefits.

Lofton noted that immigrants do not have to provide their immigration status when registering at a hospital. She added that hospitals must provide medical care to all who come to their emergency rooms, regardless of their immigration status.