DHS audits Hennepin Healthcare for undocumented workers
Homeland Security Investigations has launched a worksite audit of Hennepin Healthcare’s employment records, scrutinizing whether the county‑run hospital system employs undocumented workers and whether its I‑9 paperwork complies with federal law. The audit, confirmed in internal communications obtained by the Minnesota Reformer, comes in the middle of Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration’s massive immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities that has already swept up airport workers, day‑care staff and other vetted employees. Hennepin Healthcare, which runs HCMC and a large clinic network serving tens of thousands of Minneapolis and Hennepin County residents, says it is cooperating but has declined to discuss specifics about affected workers or units. Labor and immigrant‑rights advocates warn on social media that targeting the region’s main safety‑net hospital is less about "fraud" and more about political theater, and raises the risk of staff shortages in critical frontline and support roles if long‑time employees are pushed out.
📌 Key Facts
- Homeland Security Investigations has opened a worksite audit of Hennepin Healthcare’s I‑9 and employment records in Minneapolis.
- The inquiry is explicitly focused on whether the system has undocumented workers on its payroll and whether its hiring paperwork complies with federal law.
- The audit lands amid Operation Metro Surge, intensifying local fears that frontline health‑care workers could be caught up in the federal immigration dragnet.
📊 Relevant Data
Nearly 20% of health care workers in the United States are foreign-born, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, home health aides, and other positions.
Immigrant Health Care Workers Vital Despite U.S. Immigration Policies — Forbes
Foreign-born workers make up about 18% of the direct caregiver workforce in Minnesota, despite comprising only 12% of the overall workforce.
Nearly One-third of Nursing Assistants Are Immigrants In MN — Nurse.org
Operation Metro Surge is an ICE operation focusing on apprehending illegal immigrants in the Minneapolis area, with over 2,400 arrests reported since it began.
2,400 have been arrested by immigration officials in Twin Cities — KARE11
Minnesota has become a hub for Somali immigrants due to refugee resettlement programs, family reunification, and the state's social services and liberal attitudes.
How Minnesota became a hub for Somali immigrants in the U.S. — NPR
Immigrants account for 14.5% of workers in health care support occupations in Minnesota.
Immigrants in Minnesota — American Immigration Council
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