Health Care Facilities Prepare For Potential Immigration Actions

Here are the morning’s top stories on Monday, February 24, 2025…

• Health care workers across California are attending crash courses on constitutional law. They’re preparing for possible encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, who are now officially allowed inside health care facilities.
• After weeks of a fraying relationship, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has fired L.A.’s fire chief, Kristin Crowley.
• Governor Newsom has asked Congress for nearly $40 billion in federal assistance to help the L.A. area recover from last month’s fires.

California Health Facilities Prep Employees For Possible ICE Action

The White House is touting the first month of its immigration crackdown as a big success. According to Reuters, the Trump administration deported 37,660 people during his first month in office, that according to previously unpublished U.S. Department of Homeland Security data.

Deportation plans have left many groups and industries on edge, including those who work in healthcare. 

Walking in the door at a St. John’s Community Health clinic in south Los Angeles, the waiting room is bustling with patients. But community health worker Ana Ruth Varela is worried that it’s about to become a lot quieter. Patients are afraid to leave their homes. “The other day I spoke with one of the patients. She said, I don’t know, should I go to my appointment, should I cancel, I don’t know what to do.”

For years, a long standing policy prevented federal immigration agents from making arrests at or near “sensitive locations,” including schools, places of worship and health centers. But the policy was rolled back in January, just hours after Donald Trump’s inauguration. Clinic administrator Darryn Harris is racing to teach hundreds of St. John’s health workers how to read warrants instead of intake forms. “Before ICE arrests, the one rule is silence is golden,” said Harris. He’s now telling health workers they need to know their Constitutional rights, and teach their patients.

LA Mayor Removes Fire Chief From Duty, Citing Wildfire Response

Citing the response to the deadly Palisades Fire, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass on Friday announced that she has removed Kristin Crowley as fire chief effective immediately.

Bass said she was acting in the best interests of public safety and the operations of the Los Angeles Fire Department. “We know that 1,000 firefighters that could have been on duty on the morning the fires broke out were instead sent home on Chief Crowley’s watch,” Bass said in a statement. “Furthermore, a necessary step to an investigation was the President of the Fire Commission telling Chief Crowley to do an after action report on the fires. The Chief refused.”

Bass said she has called for a full investigation of everything that led up to Jan. 7, when both the Palisades and Eaton fires sparked, and the after action report Crowley refused to do is a “necessary” part of that process. Crowley issued a statement on Saturday. “As a humble public servant for over the past 30 years, 25 of those with the LAFD, it has been an absolute honor to represent and lead the men and women of one of the greatest fire departments in the world. As the Fire Chief, I based my actions and decisions on taking care of our firefighters so that they could take care of our communities. Serving others before self, having the courage and integrity to do what is right, and leading with compassion, love and respect have guided me throughout my career. I am extremely proud of the work, sacrifice and dedication of our LAFD members, both sworn and civilian.”

Governor Asks Congress For Nearly $40 Billion For LA Wildfire Relief

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has asked Congress to approve nearly $40 billion in aid to help the Los Angeles area recover from January’s devastating wildfires, which he said could become the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.

Newsom sent a letter Friday asking for support from lawmakers including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), the House Appropriations Committee chair.

“Los Angeles is one of the most economically productive places on the globe, but it can only rebound and flourish with support from the federal government as it recovers from this unprecedented disaster,” Newsom wrote.

Estimates of the total economic loss from the firestorm have been estimated to surpass $250 billion — with real estate losses from the Palisades and Eaton fires predicted to potentially top $30 billion, according to a Los Angeles Times analysis. More than 16,200 structures were destroyed as flames ripped through Pacific Palisades, Malibu, Pasadena and Altadena.