Suffering Children and Handcuffed Doctors: US Immigration Policy and a Call for Advocacy.

Abstract

* Abbreviations: CBP — : Customs and Border Protection COVID-19 — : coronavirus disease In December 2019, 6 protestors advocating for the implementation of an influenza vaccination program in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detention facilities were arrested by the US Department of Homeland Security Federal Protective Services at the CBP San Diego sector headquarters. Four of the 6 were licensed practicing physicians who had arrived flu shots in hand, ready to volunteer their time and services. Whereas the arrested physicians wore white coats and stethoscopes, the officers making those arrests were clothed in army fatigues, riot gear, and automatic weapons, a stark contrast for the dozens of additional health care professionals and handful of news media crews present to witness the event. As the physicians began having their hands zip-tied behind their backs, one was seen removing the pediatric stethoscope from around his neck and placing it on the ground before being led away in handcuffs. That afternoon’s events represented the culmination of months of unsuccessful attempts by the medical community to persuade CBP to reconsider its stance on denying asylum seekers to the United States access to influenza vaccines. During the 2018 to 2019 influenza season, 3 migrant children died of flu while being detained by CBP: 2-year-old Wilmer Josue Ramirez Vasquez, 8-year-old Felipe Alonzo Gomez, and 16-year-old Carlos Hernandez Vasquez. Carlos’ death was publicized on later-released surveillance footage, which showed him stumbling around his cell, vomiting, and writhing before finally dying face down and alone on the cement floor. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,1 professional medical organizations,2 members of the US Senate,3 and concerned physicians … Address correspondence to Bonnie Arzuaga, MD, FAAP, Division of Newborn Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave, Hunnewell 437, Boston, MA 02115. E-mail: bonnie.arzuaga{at}childrens.harvard.edu