To hospital administrators, medical boards, and healthcare systems:

We, the undersigned, call on hospitals and healthcare providers to take a public pledge:
Every medical facility must pledge not to allow law enforcement officers, including ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and CBP (Customs and Border Protection), to arrest or detain patients on hospital property unless presented with a valid, judge-signed arrest warrant.

Why this matters:

Undocumented people across the DC metro region and the country are afraid to seek necessary medical care. ICE and CBP have targeted patients at hospitals, waiting outside emergency rooms or detaining people just after discharge. 

People who come to the hospital for help are susceptible to being funneled into a system of detention, often without access to legal counsel or due process. Some are deported quickly, without a hearing. Others are held for weeks or months in subhuman conditions where basic and necessary medical care is denied and where many have died.

This is not only a legal issue. It is a medical and moral one.

Doctors take an oath to do no harm. This professional obligation does not stop at the bedside. It includes doing everything possible to ensure that the environment in which care is delivered does not enable unspeakable harm to be done to others. When hospitals allow ICE and CBP to make arrests without warrants or quietly share patient information, they become part of a system that endangers lives and violates the most basic ethical commitments of medicine.

We ask you to adopt and publicize a Sanctuary Hospital Pledge:

• Law enforcement presence on hospital grounds should be limited to local police providing routine security and first responders handling emergencies.
• No arrests, detentions, questioning, or surveillance by any law enforcement officers shall occur on hospital property without a valid, judge-signed warrant.
• No sharing of patient information with immigration authorities without a court order.
• Clear, posted policies stating your position on warrantless enforcement.
• Comprehensive staff training on patients’ rights and how to respond if immigration law enforcement appears.
• Assign or train a dedicated hospital liaison to verify warrants and advise on immigration-related legal issues.
• Train hospital social workers in matters affecting immigrant patient rights.
• Train staff to help accompany vulnerable patients from hospital buildings to their vehicles or other transportation in a way that protects their safety and dignity. 

Healthcare must not be used as a tool of fear or control. We urge you to take a stand. Protect your patients. Honor your oath.