LOS ANGELES — She’s lived in Los Angeles for 25 years and has been a patient at St. John’s Community Health for nearly two decades.

But last week, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, who asked to be identified only as T, missed her regular doctor’s appointment.

“On Friday I had to go to an appointment to check up on my blood pressure, but I had no motivation to go,” T said. “I was really scared, especially on the bus. I was nervous to see someone [from ICE] in front of me.” 

T ultimately found a ride to the clinic, where staff discovered her blood pressure was dangerously high. She said she’s also missing work.

“Right now my boss said that I can’t go,” T explained. “That it’s better for me to stay home. Yesterday she called me and said, ‘Don’t come these days.’ But the money is needed.” 

The fear comes amid heightened immigration enforcement in Los Angeles, including an alleged incident Wednesday, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents reportedly attempted to enter a St. John’s mobile clinic in Downey without a warrant.

“The staff closed and locked the gate so they couldn’t get in,” said Jim Mangia, President and CEO of St. John’s Community Health. “We moved all the patients into the mobile, which is a safe space… It was obviously very intimidating and scary.” 

Spectrum News reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for clarification on the incident, but did not receive a response.

St. John’s Community Health, one of the largest nonprofit health providers in Los Angeles County, estimates that at least 25,000 of its 109,000 patients are undocumented. The organization receives federal funding, but expects proposed cuts under a second Trump administration could cost them up to 10% of their total budget.

Mangia said that fear is already affecting patient behavior.

“About 30% of our patients have either called in, canceled or not shown,” he said. “We’re calling a lot of them back and many patients are telling us they’re afraid to leave their homes because of ICE,” he said.

To continue serving patients who are too afraid to show up in person, the clinic is offering home visits, telehealth and medication delivery.

But T worries the fear may cause lasting harm.

“A lot of people might die for not protecting the clinics or the hospitals,” she said. “We will no longer have trust to go.” 

Caught between safeguarding their health and their immigration status, many undocumented Angelenos are making painful choices that could put their lives at risk.