WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. — A Trinity Health Ann Arbor nurse is facing a federal criminal charge after prosecutors say she helped an immigration detainee escape from the hospital while he was in U.S. Border Patrol custody.
Chloe Renae Freeman has been charged with one count of instigating or assisting escape, a misdemeanor that carries up to one year in prison. She has pleaded not guilty. Her next court date is Oct. 20.
Freeman made her initial court appearance in Detroit on Tuesday and was released on a $10,000 unsecured bond.
You can watch Ruta Ulcinaite's full report below:
According to a federal criminal complaint filed Aug. 28 in the Eastern District of Michigan, U.S. Border Patrol agents conducted a targeted immigration enforcement operation on May 28 in Ann Arbor. Agents approached the man, identified in court documents only by the initials OBP, near the intersection of Washtenaw Avenue and Pittsfield Boulevard. OBP is described as a native and citizen of Mexico who had previously been removed from the United States on or about Dec. 12, 2022, from Arizona.
When agents approached OBP, they claim he fled, tripped over a curb and hit his face on the pavement. After agents took him into custody, they observed bleeding from his head and contacted Emergency Medical Services. EMS transported OBP to Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital for further evaluation.
The complaint states that after OBP completed a CT scan, Freeman came to the CT scan room and told the operator to hold OBP and not return him to his room. Badge swipe data from the hospital showed Freeman accessed the second-floor CT Room on May 28. Security video footage then showed OBP exiting the hospital through the ambulance bay door.
The complaint states that during a hospital interview on June 18, Freeman admitted to letting OBP leave. She said she knew he was an ICE custody patient but claimed she did not believe he was in custody at the time because ICE agents were not physically with him in the CT room. The complaint states Freeman removed OBP's IV and escorted him out through the ambulance bay doors before he was properly discharged and before his hospital care was complete.
The complaint states Freeman told investigators she did not agree with ICE separating people from their families and that she "knew she was going to set him free." Law enforcement has been unable to locate OBP since his escape from the hospital.
Immigration attorney at Atiya Law, Shahad Atiya, who is also a professor at UM Dearborn, said the charge against Freeman is unusual.
"It's alleging a violation of federal law, a misdemeanor violation that could carry up to one year in prison," Atiya said. "We haven't seen it yet in the space where we deal with immigration offenses. I think this is going to be probably a new set of charges that are targeting people who are looking to assist immigrants in one way or another," Atiya said.
Diego Bonesatti, legal services program manager with Michigan United, said his organization has been tracking ICE arrests across Michigan and that the incident in Washtenaw County does not surprise him.
"Given the lack of training of new ICE recruits and the massive amount of spending and hiring, it does not surprise me that people are getting hurt," Bonesatti said.
Laura Sanders, co-founder of the Movement for Immigrant Rights Action or MIRA, says the defendant has her organization, and others, in her corner.
"We as advocates and activists in this area have respect for her attempt to protect this immigrant man," Sanders said.
Trinity Health Ann Arbor released a statement regarding the incident:
"The individual referenced is no longer employed by Trinity Health Ann Arbor. Because this is an active legal matter, we are unable to comment on the specific allegations or ongoing court proceedings."
The criminal complaint was filed by FBI Special Agent Michael Wagner and signed by U.S. Magistrate Judge Kimberly Altman. The case was initially sealed before being unsealed ahead of Freeman's court appearance.
You can read the criminal complaint here or in the embed below:
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