White Memorial says it stands with the community amid ICE scrutiny — doctors and others have doubts

This story was originally published by Boyle Heights Beat on Nov. 26, 2025.

Adventist Health White Memorial says it is taking steps to reaffirm its commitment to patient privacy in the face of ICE raids — including posting signs clarifying how law enforcement officers and immigration agents interact with patients.

The announcement comes after reports that hospital administrators allowed federal immigration agents to interfere in medical decisions and block doctors from properly treating detainees who need emergency care.

The reporting alarmed many in the community, who are calling for hospital administrators to uphold patient privacy and ensure staff can advocate for patients without retaliation. An ICE Out of White Memorial petition has garnered hundreds of signatures, organizers said.

In a Nov. 21 news release, Adventist Health released a six-point statement outlining policies to protect patients and support staff. The measures state that staff can speak up if patient rights are violated, and that they will not face retaliation for “requesting ICE agents to step away.” Staff are encouraged to report any violations of patient rights, according to the release.

The statement also said nursing and clinical care teams “routinely ask ICE agents to leave the room during care so patients can maintain privacy and feel safe when receiving medical care.”

“We support our staff when they speak up for patients’ needs,” it said, adding that the hospital does not prohibit contact with patient families. “We have case management and escalation processes for our physicians and staff to be able to contact families and coordinate care,” according to the news release.

The statement follows reporting by LAist that found that doctors believe hospital administrators were allowing ICE to call the shots and were blocking doctors from properly treating detainees who need emergency care. The hospital, which is part of a network of private, nonprofit hospitals affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, has operated in Boyle Heights for more than 100 years.

LAist’s reporting found that White Memorial staff who stand up to immigration agents – either by asking them to identify themselves or to step out of the room during a patient examination – do so at their own peril and are unsure that the hospital has their back if a conflict arises. Doctors also said they have been barred from reaching out to family members, either to collect necessary medical information, or simply to let family members know about a loved one.

The new statement was released on Friday, but doctors told Boyle Heights Beat that ICE is still interfering with patient care — in seeming contradiction to Adventist Health’s Nov. 21 news release. Physicians say they have been told they must go through the hospital’s case management system to speak with a patient’s family members. The case management system then contacts ICE for permission, doctors said. ICE can say no, they said.

Community advocates have voiced concern about the hospital’s approach and say this recent statement, while welcomed, doesn’t go far enough.

Raquel Roman, executive director of Proyecto Pastoral, which operates the Boyle Heights Immigrant Rights Network, said that while the organization recognizes White Memorial’s efforts, they want the hospital to “set clear rules prohibiting agents from entering patient care areas.”

“At a time when moral clarity is needed, leaving these decisions to individual care teams creates grave ambiguity.
Hospitals need to be havens of healing,” Roman said.

“When people are scared to seek life-saving care, there is no impartial position.
We cherish our collaboration with White Memorial. But we can’t stand by and watch while our neighbors have to decide between their safety and health,” she added.

Adventist Health White Memorial Hospital in Boyle Heights.

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Steve Saldivar

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The LA Local

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The news release also underscores the community’s clout following outrage over the doctors’ complaints.

Since the story was published, community stakeholders who are part of the Boyle Heights Immigrant Rights Network presented demands at a Nov. 5 meeting with hospital leaders, including Kerry Heinrich, the president and chief executive officer of Adventist Health System, and John Raffoul, president of Adventist Health White Memorial.

As part of those demands, the network — which is made up of residents and community leaders from organizations like Legacy LA, InnerCity Struggle and Centro CSO — wants immigration agents out of patient rooms during medical consultations and procedures.

In response, White Memorial, in a Nov. 12 memo, thanked community leaders for sharing their concerns and outlined five key points, which noted that every patient’s privacy is protected, that doctors and nurses make care decisions together with patients, that law enforcement officers can’t interfere with medical care, and that when there is a medical reason to contact a family, “our team can do that through the right process.”

Members of the Boyle Heights Immigrant Rights Network said the memo fell short. While a “good first attempt,” they said it contained “a lot of gray area” and was doing the “bare minimum.” As a hospital, “they already should be protecting patients’ privacy,” said Henry Perez, executive director of InnerCity Struggle.

Adventist Health said the statement combines existing practices with recent changes made in response to community concerns. The updated signage referenced in the news release will be printed and posted by Monday evening, they said.

“We have and will continue to review our policies and practices – including those guiding detainee and patient privacy – so that every patient, family member, and staff member at White Memorial feels safe and respected in our hospital,” according to the press release.