Ethical Responsibilities of Physicians Who Care for Immigrants in Federal Immigration Detention

Physicians working with immigrant families at the Mexican border and in detention centers with separated parents and children face complex medical ethics problems. The research team will identify and interview physicians to identify any ethical dilemmas faced by the physicians, and the manner in which the physicians dealt with them to determine (1) the ethical issues faced by physicians caring for immigrants and asylum seekers in custody; (2) the ethical and legal principles physicians relied on that helped them make treatment decisions in this context; (3) structural mechanisms that could make it more likely that decisions made in the best interests of patients can be consistently acted on.