- United States
- Ariz.
- Letter
I am calling on you to take swift and decisive action regarding the forced separation of Erika and her newborn at Tucson Medical Center. This is not a policy issue—it is a humanitarian crisis. Hospitals should be places of healing, yet they have become sites where immigration enforcement disrupts families and inflicts trauma. The removal of a mother from her newborn moments after birth is an act of state-sanctioned harm, and Arizona must take steps to ensure this never happens again.
Arizona has an opportunity—and an obligation—to demonstrate that compassion is not conditional. The idea that hospitals can be used as enforcement zones is an affront to the ethical standards guiding medical care and the fundamental rights of families. This action is not about enforcing immigration laws; it is about preventing unnecessary suffering. Health facilities should be free from law enforcement interference that targets vulnerable individuals, particularly new mothers and infants.
As a leader in Arizona, you have the power to enact policies that explicitly prohibit immigration enforcement within hospitals. I urge you to introduce or support legislation that:
- Protects hospital spaces from enforcement raids and detentions
- Ensures no patient, regardless of status, faces separation from their child while receiving medical care
- Establishes protocols to safeguard families from government overreach in healthcare settings
Arizonans deserve representatives who act on justice and human dignity, not ones who justify cruelty under bureaucratic technicalities. What happened at Tucson Medical Center is unacceptable, and I expect you to take concrete steps to ensure it does not happen again.
I look forward to hearing about the actions you will take to protect families in our state. I urge you to publicly denounce this separation and work toward legislation that reflects true leadership—one grounded in humanity rather than fear.