Health care providers: patient access: immigration enforcement

The law adds protections for patient privacy and gives staff procedures for handling immigration-enforcement requests, including requests from people in immigration custody to contact family or a support person.

What the law does ​

• Requires health care provider entities to establish or update visitor monitoring, documentation, and reception procedures.
• Requires a notice at each facility’s main public entrance stating that immigration enforcement cannot enter nonpublic areas unless state or federal law requires it or a valid physical judicial warrant or court order specifically permits access.
• Requires entities to train staff and relevant volunteers on responding to immigration-enforcement access requests and to requests from people in immigration custody to notify family or a designated support person of their location.
• Keeps the existing restriction on immigration-enforcement access to patient-treatment and protected-health-information areas without a valid physical judicial warrant or court order specifically granting access.
• Repeals these added requirements on January 1, 2030, when prior rules take effect.

Who it affects ​

• Health care provider entities, their personnel, staff, and relevant volunteers.
• Patients and people seeking or receiving care at covered facilities.
• People in immigration-enforcement custody who ask facility staff to notify family or a designated support person.
• Immigration-enforcement personnel seeking facility, patient, family, or patient-record information.

Context ​

Local public providers may receive state reimbursement if the Commission on State Mandates finds the law creates reimbursable mandated costs.