A Michigan nurse has been charged with a federal misdemeanor after authorities alleged she helped an injured immigration detainee leave a hospital while he was in federal custody, according to court filings. Chloe Renae Freeman, 33, of Whitmore Lake, was charged with instigating or assisting the escape of a person under arrest, according to a criminal complaint filed August 28 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine. Freeman was working as a registered nurse at Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital when the alleged escape occurred on May 28, according to an affidavit filed with the complaint. The allegations are contained in an affidavit from FBI Special Agent Michael Wagner submitted to establish probable cause.
Freeman has not been convicted of the charge, and the complaint represents the government's account of events. Newsweek has contacted the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Trinity Health and attorneys representing Freeman for comment.
President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign has expanded immigration enforcement across the country, prompting protests, legal challenges and opposition from immigrant-rights groups. Federal authorities have also accused U.S. citizens and protesters of interfering with immigration enforcement operations, while federal immigration agencies have faced allegations of due process violations, excessive use of force and racial profiling. Border Patrol agents conducted a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Ann Arbor the night of May 28 involving a man identified in court records only by the initials OBP, according to the affidavit.
Federal authorities described the man as a native and citizen of Mexico who had previously been removed from the United States in December 2022 and had not received permission to reapply for admission. Agents approached the man at about 9 p.m. near Washtenaw Avenue and Pittsfield Boulevard, according to the affidavit. Authorities allege he ran from the agents, tripped over a curb and struck his face on the pavement.
After taking him into custody, agents observed bleeding from his head and provided first aid for cuts on the bridge of his nose and a small contusion on his forehead, the filing said. Emergency medical personnel were called and determined that he required further evaluation. He was subsequently taken to Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital while remaining in Border Patrol custody, according to the affidavit.
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