Update 7/21/20 (evening): Jefferson Hospital reached out to advocates for the family late this afternoon to inform them that A.V. will not be deported tomorrow. However, the hospital has not yet committed that it will not deport A.V. at a later date. We need Jefferson Hospital to ensure that A.V. will continue to receive necessary care until he is placed at an appropriate rehabilitation center and to make good faith efforts to facilitate a placement in his medical best interest. We hope to see progress towards these goals in the coming days.

Original Post 7/21/20 (morning): A coalition of community organizations, advocates, students, and family members call on Jefferson Hospital to provide necessary medical care to patient “A.V.” until he can be transferred to a suitable rehabilitation facility, and to confirm that the hospital will not subject him to a medical deportation. Private medical deportation is a practice used by hospitals to deport immigrants in the U.S. without informed consent or consent of the patient’s family. Hospitals have chartered private flights to transport undocumented patients to their country of origin to avoid having to pay for long-term medical care. Forced deportation of these patients can result in death or aggravation of their illness or injury.

Patient A.V. is a Guatemalan man who suffered serious injuries after being hit by a motorcycle in May of this year, including broken legs, fractured ribs and severe neurological trauma. He was taken to Jefferson-Torresdale Hospital in Northeast Philadelphia to receive life-saving medical care. In June, Jefferson Hospital informed A.V.’s family that he would be transported to Guatemala on a private charter plane on June 24. A.V. was bedridden and requires long-term care and rehabilitation. Community members, Jefferson medical students, and Philadelphia City Council members mobilized at the hospital on the morning of June 24 to stop the scheduled private deportation. Jefferson Hospital agreed to delay the deportation for four weeks to allow for arrangements to be made for A.V.’s transition to a rehabilitation center. A.V.’s family believes that the appropriate solution is for him to be placed in a long-term care facility specializing in traumatic brain injuries. Over the past month, A.V.’s family and advocates have been diligently working to locate rehabilitative care. The deadline imposed by Jefferson Hospital is fast-approaching, but the hospital has not told A.V.'s family whether or not he will be medically deported on July 22. Jefferson Hospital has not identified a rehabilitation facility for A.V.’s placement, but has also not committed to keep A.V. in its care, and alive, until one is identified.

The practice of private deportations by hospitals is unregulated, with little transparency or accountability. Little data exists about this practice. Medical deportations can occur even if the patient is not in a condition to travel safely or receive adequate care in the country of origin. Jefferson Hospital must commit to rejecting the practice of medical deportation and provide patient A.V. with the care he needs until he can be placed into rehabilitative care.