A fall brought Paige Adamson’s immigration fears into an urgent medical decision in Point Roberts, where her son says she turned down hospital care rather than risk detention or trouble returning home.
Adamson, 61, was a Canadian citizen who held U.S. permanent resident status. She died at home on Oct. 18; the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office activity log records a death investigation in Point Roberts that afternoon but does not identify her or list a cause. Cascadia Daily News reported that the sheriff’s office and medical examiner considered a natural cause likely and did not suspect criminal conduct. No final cause had been reported.
Her son, Dylan Adamson, told The Canadian Press that she fell earlier in the week and declined further care because she feared leaving the United States could lead to detention or prevent her return. He said a firefighter told him paramedics had recommended hospital care, and that his mother signed a form declining treatment.
The road connection between Point Roberts and mainland Washington passes through British Columbia. The local public hospital district says its clinic began operating in 2003. Its current website lists urgent and primary care, with providers on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and a registered nurse on other weekdays for urgent care and telehealth support. The current service listing does not describe what treatment was available for Adamson’s circumstances when she fell.
Adamson was detained and questioned at the U.S. border for six hours in September while returning from British Columbia, Cascadia Daily News reported. She was released with a notice to appear at a deportation hearing. The Canadian Press said it reviewed a copy of the notice, which alleged Adamson claimed U.S. citizenship to register to vote and cast a ballot in Whatcom County on Nov. 6, 2018. Her son said she did not recall registering or voting; the cited reports did not describe a ruling on the allegations.
The Canadian Press reported that the notice named Nov. 4 in Seattle as the hearing date.
