An Ann Arbor nurse is facing a federal misdemeanor charge after allegedly helping a person in the U.S. without legal status escape law enforcement custody while he was receiving medical treatment at Trinity Health Ann Arbor hospital.
According to federal court filings, the man had been arrested by federal immigration agents and taken to the emergency room for injuries sustained during his arrest. While he was at the hospital, the FBI says the nurse removed his IV drip and guided him to the ambulance entrance allowing him to flee.
33-year old Chloe Renae Freeman, of Whitmore Lake, voluntarily surrendered to authorities, was released on a $10,000 bond, and is no longer employed by the hospital.
As of Friday, federal authorities say the escaped patient has still not been found.
The case highlights a growing collision between legal mandates and medical ethics in healthcare facilities. Legal experts say this is becoming increasingly common pointing to a past incident at a Chicago hospital where an elected official attempted to prevent an arrest and was taken into custody herself.
Shahad Atiya, founder of Atiya Law and a professor of criminology at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, says medical professionals across the country are finding themselves caught between their professional duty to care for patients and federal immigration enforcement.
"I think we're probably going to see more of these situations as people in professional circles deal with their ethical obligation to serve a patient, for example, versus how they view the immigration system in general," Atiya said.
According to Atiya, healthcare systems have been grappling with how to handle immigration enforcement within medical spaces, with many facilities hosting "Know Your Rights" trainings to help staff navigate privacy laws, search warrants, and more.
"The seminars are focusing on really asking medical professionals to make legal judgments, which are very difficult to do," Atiya said. "The case just shows us one person making that personal judgment call, and then the consequences of her decision."
Legally, the government still carries the burden of proving every element of the crime beyond a reasonable doubt, including whether the patient was strictly in federal custody at the time he left the room.
Atiya pointed out that the federal government’s decision to file a misdemeanor charge rather than a felony may signal an intention to resolve the case quickly.
