Health Professionals, Human Rights Violations at the US-Mexico Border, and Holocaust Legacy

Abstract

Health professionals caring for asylum seekers face decisions about whether to participate in force-feeding hunger strikers, performing and reviewing unnecessary x-rays to assess detainees' ages, misusing detainees' health information, and discharging patients based on immigration officials' demands rather than patient safety. The latter action is a classic dual-loyalty dilemma reminiscent of some clinicians' actions during the Holocaust. This article investigates how professional organizations can support clinicians targeted by the state for resisting immigration officials' demands for their participation in human rights violations, opposing policies that compromise health professional values, and refusing to engage in unethical detention practices.