On Jan. 28, I was scheduled for a 7 a.m. procedure at Maine Medical Center. On the way there, I saw a social media post featuring nurses discussing staffing shortages related to ICE activity and the fear some Black and brown colleagues felt about coming to work.

While being prepped, a nurse handed me a remote. When Spanish-language music came on, she quickly suggested I change it. I told her I was fine with it. I then mentioned the video about staffing concerns. She responded, “It needs to stop. These people need to start coming in to work. They have nothing to worry about.”

Her comments were dismissive of the very real fears many immigrant communities are experiencing. I explained that individuals who are legally authorized to be here have been detained and referenced public remarks by Cumberland County Sheriff Kevin Joyce, who criticized certain ICE actions and acknowledged that legally vetted individuals had been taken off the streets. She denied this and abruptly ended the conversation.

What concerned me most was not simply the expression of a political opinion, but the clear bias underlying it. When a health care professional minimizes the fears of Black and brown communities, it raises serious questions about how prejudice may influence patient care. My wife and I were left wondering how this interaction might have unfolded had I been a person of color, and whether such bias could consciously or unconsciously affect the treatment of minority patients.

Richard Morin
Gardiner