Wednesday, May 13, 2026

L.A. County Moves to Shield Hospital Workers and Patients From Immigration Enforcement

The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to create an oversight committee and expand staff training at county medical facilities, a response to months of confrontations between health care workers and federal agents

Health care workers at Los Angeles County hospitals will soon receive new training on how to protect patient rights during encounters with federal immigration agents, after the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a motion to strengthen protections at county-operated medical facilities.

The motion, authored by Board Chair and First District Supervisor Hilda L. Solis and co-authored by Board Chair Pro Tem and Second District Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, directs county staff to establish an internal oversight committee to enforce and improve hospital protocols that have been strained by a surge in immigration enforcement activity since 2025. Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who has previously cited governance concerns when voting against or abstaining on immigration-related county measures, abstained.

For Pasadena and Altadena residents — who are served by L.A. County’s Department of Health Services, the second-largest municipal health system in the nation, and who fall within L.A. County’s Service Planning Area 3 for public health — the vote reinforces protections at the county facilities where many seek care. The City of Pasadena adopted its own immigration enforcement protection resolution in February 2026, building on the Pasadena Police Department’s longstanding policy, in place since 1989, of not investigating or detaining individuals based on immigration status. The county’s action now adds another layer of institutional safeguards for local residents who rely on the broader county health network.

The new committee will include experienced hospital personnel, County Counsel and staff from the Office of Immigrant Affairs, according to the motion. Its mandate is to oversee implementation of the Department of Health Services’ civil law enforcement policy — a set of protocols that went into effect in March and instructs hospital staff on how to handle interactions with agents, including those from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The committee is also charged with collecting feedback from staff on how to improve the policy and developing recommendations to strengthen protections and operational guidance moving forward.

“Across the county, residents and healthcare professionals have expressed deep concern about the presence of federal immigration enforcement activity in medical facilities,” Solis said in a statement released by her office. “Today’s action will help ensure county employees have clear guidance and protocols in place so our hospitals and healthcare settings remain safe, trusted and accessible spaces for all who rely on them.”

Solis was more pointed in remarks reported by LAist, saying that federal agents had disregarded existing safeguards. “Despite the county’s sensitive location policy … immigration enforcement officials have pushed boundaries or blatantly ignored laws,” Solis said. “This has put many of our county employees in a difficult position of trying to enforce the law and protect patients’ rights.”

The county’s Department of Health Services recently implemented its “DHS Civil Law Enforcement Agencies and Protocol for Patients in Civil Detention” policy, which provides guidance to hospital staff when interacting with civil law enforcement agencies and outlines staff training requirements, according to the motion. The policy affirms that patients brought in by civil law enforcement officers, including immigration agents, retain the right to communicate with family members, legal counsel and advocates. But health workers and advocates have raised concerns that awareness of the policy remains limited.

Solis said that since immigration raids intensified in the summer of 2025, public health workers have had more frequent interactions with federal agents, and some staff members risk being accused of obstructing justice when they attempt to protect patients’ rights, according to LAist.

Mitchell framed the motion as a defense of the county’s health system.

“When our residents seek medical care, their focus should be on that — not on the fear, trauma, and uncertainty created by the presence of immigration enforcement, which has no business being in our hospitals,” Mitchell said in a statement released by her office. “This motion is about protecting the integrity of our healthcare system, ensuring hospitals remain safe and trusted spaces for all patients, and equipping our dedicated healthcare workers with the tools and guidance they need to respond appropriately and safely in the event of immigration enforcement activity.”

The county previously adopted a Sensitive Locations Policy that prohibits the use of county resources for civil immigration enforcement. First established through a 2017 motion by Solis, the policy — codified as Board Policy 3.175 and most recently revised in November 2025 — is rooted in the California Values Act and designates all county properties, including hospitals, clinics and social service offices, as sensitive locations where immigration enforcement is restricted. Tuesday’s motion builds on that framework by adding an enforcement mechanism: a committee charged with coordinating training, gathering staff feedback and reporting back to the board within 30 days.

The 30-day report is expected to include recommendations for coordinating with health plans, community clinics, hospitals and other health care providers across the county on best practices during interactions with civil law enforcement officials, according to the motion.

The county operates four hospitals — Los Angeles General Medical Center, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center and Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center — and 28 health centers through its Department of Health Services, which cares for more than 800,000 patients annually, according to DHS.

Tuesday’s vote comes as health care facilities across California and the nation grapple with the consequences of federal enforcement activity in medical settings. California’s SB 81, signed into law in September 2025, requires health care providers to establish nonpublic areas within their facilities to protect patient privacy from immigration enforcement. The county’s new committee is positioned to align local implementation with both state law and the county’s own policies.

The Office of Immigrant Affairs, one of the three entities represented on the new committee, can be reached at 800-593-8222 or at oia.lacounty.gov.