Public Health Service Officers Depart Over ICE Assignments

In 2025, the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) deployed approximately 400 officers for month-long assignments to staff Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers. These deployments occurred amidst increasing immigrant arrests and a rising demand for healthcare providers at detention facilities nationwide.

Officer Concerns and Resignations

Deployed USPHS officers, including nurses, doctors, and pharmacists, expressed significant concerns regarding the conditions and operational practices at these facilities. Reports from officers cited:

• Life-threatening delays in providing medicine and care to detainees.
• Chaotic medical screenings.
• Overcrowded and understaffed environments.
• Violations of basic medical confidentiality during group screenings.

Several medical professionals stated that these assignments created significant moral distress, leading some to resign from the service. Rebekah Stewart, a nurse practitioner who left in October, stated that officers were being asked to:

"facilitate inhumane operations."

Dena Bushman, another nurse practitioner, resigned in January, expressing unwillingness to be part of the process of staffing these facilities, citing concerns about the nature of arrests and detention operations.

Context of ICE Detentions and Healthcare

ICE detentions have reached high volumes, with approximately 71,000 individuals held in 225 facilities as of February 2, according to ICE data. While ICE maintains its own health service corps, USPHS officers are sometimes deployed to fill staffing gaps during periods of increased need.

ICE's standards indicate that detention should be non-punitive and detainees are entitled to appropriate medical care. However, various sources have detailed alleged abuses and insufficient healthcare at these facilities. The year 2025 recorded 32 deaths in ICE custody, based on an NPR tally.

Impact and Official Response

Some officers described a conflict between ICE's objective of rapid deportation and their own goal of ensuring detainee care. One nurse reported being instructed to conduct batch medical screenings, compromising confidentiality, and experiencing delays in obtaining essential medications, which led to medical emergencies.

Hilary Mabel, a bioethicist at Emory University, commented that:

Moral distress can compel clinicians to leave organizations when they perceive an inability to maintain their integrity or fulfill professional responsibilities.

Last year, about 340 USPHS officers departed the service.

Admiral Brian Christine, Assistant Secretary for Health, addressed the departures, stating:

"Our duty is clear: say 'Yes Sir!', salute smartly, and execute the mission: show up, provide humane care, and protect health with professionalism and compassion."

Jonathan White, a clinical social worker and former USPHS Commander, indicated that the service faces a morale crisis. He suggested that professional care, while important, may inadvertently:

"provide justification for a mass deportation system perceived as harmful."

Concerns were also raised about the long-term impact of losing ethically committed officers on the nation's ability to respond to public health crises.