Minnesota residents delay medical care due to fear of being stopped by ICE

Immigration and Custom Enforcement raids are causing people in Minnesota to cancel medical appointments, according to American Academy of Pediatrics’ Minnesota chapter President-elect Jann Geirtz O’Brien, MD, MPH. She says reports of ICE entering hospitals and surrounding hospitals are making people reluctant to seek care. She referenced a Minnesota child who experienced severe appendicitis because his family waited too long to bring him to doctors. Other parents are requesting home visits, and Minneapolis-based Hennepin Healthcare is expanding telehealth options and adding appointments to its pediatric mobile health clinic. U.S. citizens of Latino origin also are canceling appointments for fear of ICE agents detaining them, public health professionals say. (CIDRAP news article, 1/16/26)