Series: What the ICE surge taught us about maternity care
It showed us what compassionate, trusted, proactive care looks like | 3 min read
“I was shocked by how quickly things escalated.”
During a field trip at this year’s Association of Health Care Journalists conference in Minneapolis, Katherine Reed asked me:
“When did you know the ICE surge was different from other crises?”
I immediately thought of Renee Good.
Her fatal shooting by ICE agents was when I realized Minnesota was going through something different.
Within days, thousands of agents descended on our state.
Fear spread throughout Minnesota, especially among immigrant communities and communities of color. People started avoiding places where they once felt safe: hospitals, schools, churches, and restaurants.
Today, the ICE presence has largely faded. But the trauma and lessons still deserve attention. Especially as Congress approved a major expansion of immigration enforcement funding last week.
So now feels like a good time to revisit what Minnesota experienced during the surge.
I can’t stop thinking about:
- The grief and trauma that hit the most vulnerable communities
- The trauma that doesn’t end when someone is released, deported, or reunited with their family
- The pregnant patients who delayed routine OB care because they were too afraid to leave home
- The healthcare providers who stretched way beyond their job descriptions
- And the incredible safety net that was built almost overnight to protect families in crisis
It was a traumatic experience countered with deep compassion and community.
This week, I’ll share what the ICE surge taught me about maternity care:
- What it meant to me personally (link)
- How fear changed care-seeking behavior (link)
- The safety net that was built overnight (link)
- The part of the story that still needs to be told (link)
- Where do we go from here (link)
No community should have to go through what Minnesota did.
I keep coming back to 2 lessons: 1) Fear should never determine whether a mom gets the care she needs, and 2) Minnesotans found a way to build a safety net overnight when the most vulnerable moms needed it most.
The surge showed us what compassionate, proactive, trusted maternity care looks like.
And that should be the standard for every new mom.
📷 Last photo courtesy of the Association of Health Care Journalists
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