Husband of Huntington Hospital’s Chief of Medical Staff Detained by ICE, Advocacy Group Says

Federal immigration officials have detained the husband of Huntington Hospital’s Chief of Medical Staff in downtown Los Angeles, where he has allegedly endured nearly two weeks of harsh treatment and insufficient medical care, according to a civil rights group’s statement released Thursday evening.

Tunisian immigrant Rami Othmane was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on July 13 while driving to a grocery store, the National Day Laborer Organizing Network said. His wife, Dr. Wafaa Alrashid, who oversees more than 1,000 physicians associated with Huntington Hospital, claims immigration officers blocked her husband’s car, did not present a warrant, and failed to identify themselves during the encounter.

Othmane suffers from chronic pain and an untreated tumor and is reportedly being held under inhumane conditions at a federal facility in downtown Los Angeles, NDLON said.

“He is not a criminal,” Alrashid was quoted in the group’s statement as saying. “He is a kind, peaceful man with an open immigration petition. He should be with his family, not sleeping on a concrete floor without medical care.”

The family filed an I-130 Petition for Alien Relative on June 12, initiating a legal pathway toward permanent residency. The petition remains pending, according to the advocacy group.

The incident has intensified concerns among human rights advocates about the treatment of detainees in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, particularly those with serious medical conditions. Allegations of poor healthcare and harsh conditions have persisted for years nationwide.

The National Day Laborer Organizing Network also announced a Friday news conference, music performance and protest vigil outside “B-18,” the Los Angeles federal building where immigrant detainees are held, to protest Othmane’s detention.

This is a developing story. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.