Arizona hospital officials are digesting news U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement can now arrest migrants at “sensitive” locations such as medical centers.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration “threw out policies limiting where those arrests could happen as the new president seeks to make good on campaign promises to carry out” mass deportations, the Associated Press reported.
Both Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association and the Health System Alliance of Arizona don’t yet have a clear direction for what to do next.
At the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association, officials are “reviewing the regulatory actions” released this week.
Its members include Avenir Behavioral Health Center at Surprise, Aurora Behavioral Health System-Glendale Campus and Haven Behavioral Hospital of Phoenix, according to its website.
“We feel it’s important for people to continue to seek the care that they need.” said Ann-Marie Alameddin, president and CEO of the AHHA, in a statement. “Arizona hospitals are here to take care of patients and we do this in compliance with the law.”
The Health System Alliance of Arizona said officials are "committed" to providing care to its patients.
"Members of the Health System Alliance of Arizona are committed to providing high-quality patient care," said Brittney Kaufmann, chief executive officer at the Health System Alliance of Arizona in a statement on Jan. 28. "Ensuring the safety and well-being of patients, visitors and staff within our facilities is our highest priority. We encourage individuals to continue to seek medical care when they need it. While we are still reviewing the federal actions taken last week, our systems will continue to comply with all state and federal laws while preserving patient access to medical care."
The Health System Alliance of Arizona represents the largest hospital systems in the state: Banner Health, Dignity, Tenet (Abrazo & Carondelet), Northern Arizona Healthcare and HonorHealth. The “systems combined represent 80%” of patient care in the state.
The Tuesday announcement was “jarring for advocates who have argued that raising the prospect of deportation at churches, schools or hospitals can prevent migrants from getting medical attention or allowing their children to attend” school, the Associated Press reported.
Arizona State Sen. Lela Alston, D-Phoenix, a former board president at Phoenix Union School District, spoke out against the news.
The announcement will “deter mixed-status families from receiving medical attention, going to church, attending school or carrying out” their day-to-day activities, Alston said in a statement.
“...This despicable act, which is part of a larger effort by the Trump administration to carry out his promise of mass deportation, will not actually help increase public safety,” Alston said in the statement. “It will instead lead to nearly 6 million kids in the U.S. living in fear every day that they may be separated from their families.”
Brent Ruffner
Lead News Reporter | Phoenix Independent
Journalism has fascinated Brent Ruffner since junior high school.
Since 2001, his stories have been published in newspapers from the Albuquerque to the Arizona and he has always had a knack for making sure his facts are right and his words are to the point.
Growing up, Brent watched as sports reporters covered his beloved Phoenix Suns, a team he followed since Charles Barkley first arrived in Phoenix via trade in 1992. Sports reporting was a dream back then.
But after gaining some writing experience, Brent found a love for news instead of covering different types of sports. In 2008, he moved to New Mexico and covered crime, schools and city beats all while holding elected officials accountable.
He covered stories that ranged from a DEA drug bust gone bad to an award-winning story on school lunches.
In Arizona, Brent was a freelance writer who covered everything from the importance of citrus in the state to Esteban owning a store in downtown Prescott.
Brent is a 2007 graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
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