Adventist Health White Memorial said it rerouted ambulances for about two hours after federal agents took positions at its emergency entrance, as elected officials sought new safeguards for emergency access.
The agents had brought a person in custody to the Boyle Heights hospital’s emergency department Friday, Nov. 6, the hospital said. It did not identify the patient or disclose the reason for treatment. The hospital said it had not requested or authorized the line across its ambulance entrance.
The LA Local reported that Mayor-elect Nithya Raman joined a protest outside the hospital Saturday, Nov. 7, and called the incident “an affront to the wishes of the American people and to the people of Los Angeles.” Raquel Roman, executive director of Proyecto Pastoral and a member of the Boyle Heights Immigrant Rights Network, told LAist that agents detained two protesters whom she identified as U.S. citizens. LAist said video it reviewed appeared to show one person being detained. The Los Angeles Times reported that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) had not confirmed the detentions.
LAPD Officer Norma Eisenman told LAist that officers responded twice. The first response followed a report of a large group causing a disturbance at 2:59 a.m. ET (11:59 p.m. PST Nov. 6); officers returned at 5:24 a.m. ET (2:24 a.m. PST Nov. 7). Eisenman said officers did not assist federal immigration authorities or detain anyone in connection with immigration enforcement. A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson told CBS LA that the agency would not discuss its operations and does not target hospitals, schools or churches.
A 2025 LAist investigation cited five White Memorial physicians who said immigration agents were allowed to stay with detained patients during treatment. The physicians said hospital administrators had instructed staff to get an agent’s permission before contacting patients’ families. LAist said it reviewed internal emails related to the accounts. A hospital spokesperson said the facility had protocols to support patients’ rights.
Raman and other elected officials signed a letter seeking a written account of the Nov. 6-7 incident and procedures to prevent agents from obstructing emergency entrances. The letter also requests a meeting with community representatives within two weeks. Its signatories said they may seek a review by the California attorney general if their concerns remain unresolved. They requested a written response by Nov. 21.
