Michigan nurse charged over helping hospitalized migrant escape ICE custody

Federal authorities in Michigan have charged Chloe Renae Freeman, 33, a nurse formerly employed at Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital, with unlawfully assisting a detained immigrant in escaping from federal custody.

The case traces back to late May, when border patrol agents detained a Mexican national during an immigration enforcement operation. The man, previously deported from the US in 2022, had apparently re-entered the country without authorization. While fleeing arrest, he fell and injured his face, prompting officers to send him to the hospital, where doctors ordered a CT scan.

According to an FBI agent's sworn declaration, Freeman entered the scan room afterward, disconnected the patient's IV line, and led him to the ambulance bay, through which he then fled the building. Security footage cited in court records shows the man, his face bruised and bloodied, exiting through those doors.

When hospital investigators questioned Freeman in June, she admitted to deliberately letting the man go, saying she objected to immigration authorities separating families, and acknowledged the man's injuries could have been fatal. He has not been located since.

Freeman faces a federal misdemeanor charge related to aiding an escape. She turned herself in voluntarily and appeared for an initial hearing this week, after which she was released on a $10,000 bond. Her legal representatives have declined to comment publicly so far.

The hospital confirmed Freeman no longer works there but has not clarified how closely it cooperated with the FBI investigation. The case is among a growing number involving people charged over actions opposing ICE, an agency facing rising public criticism over its enforcement tactics — with some such prosecutions collapsing in court while others have proceeded successfully.