ICE agents entered UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center. It wasn't a raid, officials say
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center in Westwood on Tuesday afternoon to seek emergency care for a detainee, drawing a crowd of protesters concerned about the agents' presence, university officials said.
Two ICE officers brought a detainee into the emergency room for treatment, Steve Lurie, UCLA associate vice chancellor for campus and community safety, told The Times. The patient's medical evaluation did not require them to be admitted to the hospital, and they were later discharged into ICE custody. No information was available about the patient's health.
"Despite reports on social media, there is no ICE operation happening at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center," said UCLA Health in a statement.
Hospital staff called UCLA police officers to the building to verify the federal agents' identity. Officers checked the agents' credentials and confirmed they were with ICE, Lurie said.
Read more: In Southern California, many are skipping healthcare out of fear of ICE operations
A crowd of around 50 people gathered outside the hospital Tuesday afternoon in response to reports of ICE's presence, underscoring the heightened level of community tension around ongoing immigration actions in the Los Angeles area.
Healthcare facilities that serve low-income patients have reported a recent spike in no-shows as residents lacking documentation opt to skip medical visits amid rumors of raids at hospitals and clinics. On Wednesday, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass plans to speak at an 11 a.m. community briefing hosted by St. John's Community Health in response to fears that medical facilities are being targeted by immigration agents.
"As a former healthcare professional, Mayor Bass is deeply concerned by the ripple effects these raids are having when families are not able to safely access essential healthcare services," said a spokesperson for the mayor in a statement.
Trained observers from the L.A. Rapid Response Network witnessed a woman being escorted out of an underground parking lot at the medical center by two federal agents and loaded into a van at 3:37 p.m., said Jorge-Mario Cabrera, director of communications for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights L.A. This network, led by CHIRLA, trains volunteers, attorneys and educators to respond to and verify reports of ICE activity in Greater Los Angeles.
"At some level, there's a little bit of relief that at least ICE brought the patient in rather than just hauling them away without any care," said Randall Kuhn, UCLA professor of public health, who came to the facility in response to reports of agents. "ICE doesn't necessarily have a reputation for being very focused on detainee health."
However, he added, he is worried about the risk of the patient experiencing another medical emergency if their health issue was triggered by the stress of being detained by ICE. He also raised questions about whether the patient received linguistically and culturally appropriate care.
"Was the person assessed for social determinants of health?" said Kuhn. "Were they [doctors] able to address the possibility that the person would be at risk if they were released, given that ICE agents were present?"
Lurie said that the process for discharging the detainee was the same that is used when any law enforcement agency brings a person in custody into a hospital for treatment.
If Tuesday's incident at the medical center had actually been an enforcement action, UCLA Police could not have intervened. The agency does not have the authority to block federal immigration agents from entering areas on campus or medical facilities that are open to the general public.
If immigration enforcement officers seek to enter a limited-access healthcare area — such as patient rooms or closed wards — UCLA advises staff to contact their administrator and the medical center's legal representative to review any warrants or subpoenas to determine whether entry is allowed. Staff are told to ask the agents for their name, identification number and agency affiliation and to tell them that they are not obstructing their process but need to contact administrators for assistance.
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
3 High-Yielding Dividend Stocks to Buy for the Long Haul
The stocks listed here pay between 2.9% and 4% in dividends. Their payouts are sustainable and are backed by strong financials. 10 stocks we like better than UnitedHealth Group › The average stock on the S&P 500 yields just 1.3%. That's a modest return on your money, but that's only the average. There are many dividend stocks that pay you much more than that. While you don't necessarily want to go for double-digit yields (which involve stocks that tend to be extremely risky), you can find plenty of safe, high-yielding stocks to own and hang on to for the long haul. Three high-yielding stocks with strong financials that you may want to consider adding to your portfolio today are UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), Restaurant Brands International (NYSE: QSR), and AT&T (NYSE: T). Health insurance giant UnitedHealth is the type of stock that can make for an excellent long-term holding in your portfolio. This year, it has been struggling and facing a lot of adversity due to question marks around its billing practices, and rising costs have caused it to underperform expectations recently. That has pushed the healthcare stock to multi-year lows. But over the long term, the business can and should recover. Insurance companies can be polarizing and controversial, but they're also necessary to help keep costs down for patients and industries. UnitedHealth's current problems may seem daunting, but years from now, they may be resolved and no longer weigh on its share price. UnitedHealth is massive, with the company reporting more than $400 billion in sales last year and a profit of $14 billion. Its payout ratio is still fairly modest at just 35% of earnings, so it's in a good position to continue making regular payments for the foreseeable future. Although the stock is trading down 40% so far this year (as of June 24), UnitedHealth can be an underrated income-generating investment to buy and hold. You can collect even more dividend income from Restaurant Brands International. The restaurant company owns iconic and popular brands such as Burger King, Tim Hortons, Popeyes, and Firehouse Subs. It has grown via acquisitions and by expanding into new markets. Fast-food restaurants are facing challenges amid rising prices and consumers using GLP-1 weight loss drugs, which can curb appetites. But fast food still offers consumers a fairly low-cost option for eating out, and with top brands in its portfolio, Restaurant Brands can be among the better fast-food stocks to own over the long haul. Last year, it earned $1.4 billion in profit on sales of $8.4 billion, for a solid profit margin of 17%. Its payout ratio is around 80%, which is a bit high but suggests the dividend is sustainable nonetheless. The company's free cash flow has totaled $1.2 billion over the past four quarters, which is more than the $1 billion it has paid out in dividends over that time frame, and it further demonstrates the safety of its payout. AT&T is the highest-yielding stock on this list, and it wasn't all that long ago that its yield was even higher. Investors have been bullish on AT&T with its share price rising more than 53% over the past 12 months. The company has proven that its operations are safer than they appeared to be even a few years ago when it was still involved in streaming. Last year, it announced it was selling its stake in DirecTV as it focuses solely on its telecom operations. The company is effectively sacrificing some diversification and growth opportunities in exchange for greater stability and better overall financials. But that's not to say it isn't still planning on growing. It recently announced it will be acquiring nearly all of Lumen's mass-market fiber business, which will help it grow its fiber locations -- AT&T plans to double its reach and hit 60 million locations by the end of 2030. AT&T expects to generate at least $16 billion in free cash flow this year, which puts it in an excellent position to continue paying its dividend, which costs it about $8.3 billion per year. By simplifying its business and being a pure-play telecom investment, it's a much more attractive stock for income investors to buy and hold. Before you buy stock in UnitedHealth Group, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and UnitedHealth Group wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $676,023!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $883,692!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 793% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 173% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 23, 2025 David Jagielski has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Restaurant Brands International and UnitedHealth Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 3 High-Yielding Dividend Stocks to Buy for the Long Haul was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Controversial ‘unhealthy' food can actually prevent heart disease and Type 2 diabetes: study
Has everything we know gone to seed? For years, wellness influencers and nutrition gurus have waged war on a common cooking oil, treating it like a toxic product better suited among your cleaning supplies than your kitchen gear. But a new study — presented at this year's annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition — has planted a seed of doubt in this well-trodden conviction. The findings suggest that people with high levels of linoleic acid actually have a lower risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, thanks to reduced inflammation. Since linoleic acid is found in seed oils — which are derived from the seed of a plant, such as sunflower, canola and sesame — this association seemingly tramples the widespread belief they are 'bad' for you. 'There has been increasing attention on seed oils, with some claiming these oils promote inflammation and raise cardiometabolic risk,' Kevin C. Maki, adjunct professor at the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, said in a statement. 'Our study, based on almost 1,900 people, found that higher linoleic acid in blood plasma was associated with lower levels of biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk, including those related to inflammation.' While these results align with previous research, this study was based on bloodwork, meaning that it makes a stronger argument than observational evidence. 'Although other studies have assessed relationships between linoleic acid and cardiometabolic risk factors, our study used objective biomarkers rather than diet records or food frequency questionnaires to assess linoleic acid intake,' said Maki. 'We also measured a range of markers of inflammation and indicators of glucose metabolism.' He noted they tested for other inflammation biomarkers and consistently found that 'people with higher levels of linoleic acid in their blood tended to have a healthier overall risk profile for heart disease and diabetes.' Experts, meanwhile, are increasingly chiming in to say that seed oils aren't as unhealthy as some might have you think. 'Seed oils are objectively quite healthy, in that they're typically low in saturated fats,' said Kerry Beeson, a nutritional therapist at Prep Kitchen. 'There is some concern over the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 in these oils, with much higher levels of omega-6 present, potentially connected to inflammation,' Beeson previously told reporters. 'However, there is no strong evidence that high levels of omega-6 are associated with disease.' Still, since seed oils are already so widespread in what we consume — from processed food to dressing to takeout — Beeson can see the argument for opting for something else in the kitchen. 'Aim to eat a wide variety of healthy fats in your diet, avoid eating lots of processed foods, don't rely too heavily on seed oils in cooking — try incorporating other oils like coconut and olive oil — and eat plenty of omega-3 fatty acids in your diet, from oily fish, flaxseeds, chia seeds or walnuts,' she said.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Researchers turn a toxic fungus into cancer-fighting drug
(NewsNation) — Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have turned a deadly fungus into a potent cancer-fighting compound after isolating a new class of molecules from it. Aspergillus flavus is a toxic crop fungus that has been linked to deaths in the excavation of ancient tombs. It was recently used in a test against leukemia cells and resulted in those cells being killed. RFK Jr. defends cuts, health policy in House hearing 'Fungi gave us penicillin,' said Dr. Sherry Gao, senior author of the study. 'These results show that many more medicines derived from natural products remain to be found.' The aspergillus flavus, named for its yellow spores, has been known as a microbial villain for years. A series of deaths following the excavation of King Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 started fueling rumors of a 'pharaoh's curse.' The discovery of King Casimir IV's tomb in Poland in 1973 led to the deaths of 10 scientists who entered it. The investigations of both tombs revealed they contained the deadly fungus. Researchers say the next step is to test those compounds in animals with the hope of one day moving to human clinical trials. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
