11/27/2017

AMA Takes Stance Against Immigration Officials in Medical Facilities

Current situations are raising concerns in the medical world

Last month, the tale of a 10-year-old girl who needed emergency surgery became a key battlefront on the immigration issue.

When Rosa Maria Hernandez, an undocumented immigrant who has cerebral palsy, was stopped at a checkpoint on her way to have the surgery at a Corpus Christi, Texas, hospital, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents took her into custody. Authorities initially refused to release her to her parents after the procedure, prompting a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union.

“Once at the hospital, armed male agents followed Rosa Maria’s every move, including staying in the room while nurses checked her weight and vital signs,” the ACLU wrote of the situation on its website last month. “They stood outside the open door while Rosa Maria waited to be taken into the operating room. After she woke up, technically discharged by the hospital but still resting in her bed, they arrested her.”

Please click here to read the complete article on Associations Now.