NJ Hospitals Won't Turn Away Patients Due To Immigration Status

NEW JERSEY — New federal immigration policies won't affect how Garden State hospitals care for undocumented patients, the New Jersey Hospital Association said.

President Donald Trump announced last week that his administration will allow federal immigration agencies to make arrests at schools, churches and hospitals, ending a policy that had been in effect since 2011. As part of his campaign platform, the president vowed to immediately launch a nationwide immigration crackdown, including in sanctuary cities that refuse to cooperate with federal agencies.

Despite that change in protocol, the New Jersey Hospital Association said medical facilities around the state will not change how they care for patients.

“New Jersey hospitals remain firmly committed to caring for all with respect and compassion,” said Cathy Bennett, president and CEO of the New Jersey Hospital Association, in a statement Friday.

"The new federal immigration policies do not change our commitment."

The NJHA is a trade organization for the state's hospitals and health systems, including skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies.

"We await further guidance from Immigration and Customs Enforcement about President Trump's recent executive order," Bennett continued.

Last Thursday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raided a business in Newark and detained several people without a warrant, local officials said. One of the people they took into custody included a man who once served in the U.S. military, according to Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.

Police in Asbury Park and Neptune have also confirmed ICE conducted operations in their communities.

The state Department of Education also issued guidance to local schools about how to react if immigration officials show up to campus.

There are about 440,000 undocumented immigrants living in New Jersey, according to the Migration Policy Institute.