Full Breakdown
Michigan Nurse Charged for Assisting ICE Detainee’s Hospital Escape
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Alleged Assistance in Escape
Chloe Renae Freeman, a 33-year-old registered nurse from Whitmore Lake, Michigan, was charged with a federal misdemeanor for “instigating or assisting the escape” of an undocumented Mexican national who was in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody while receiving medical care at Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital. According to an FBI affidavit, Freeman entered the CT-scan room at approximately 11:31 p.m. on May 28, removed the patient’s intravenous line, and escorted him to the ambulance bay, where he fled the facility within a minute. The patient, identified only by the initials “OBP,” had been arrested by Border Patrol agents earlier that evening during a targeted immigration enforcement operation, suffered facial injuries, and was taken to the hospital for evaluation. He has not been located since the escape.
Background & Context
The May 28 incident occurred amid a broader expansion of federal immigration enforcement under the Trump administration. On January 20 2025, then-Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman rescinded a Biden-era policy that had limited ICE and Customs and Border Protection actions in “protected areas” such as hospitals, schools, and places of worship. The policy change gave agents broader discretion to conduct operations in medical facilities, setting the stage for encounters like the one that led to Freeman’s alleged actions.
Timeline
- May 28 – Border Patrol agents arrest the Mexican man in Ann Arbor; he is injured while fleeing and transported to Trinity Health Ann Arbor Hospital.
- June 18 – Freeman admits in an interview with hospital investigators that she allowed the patient to leave the facility.
- August 28 – A criminal complaint is filed charging Freeman with instigating or assisting the escape.
- September 29 – Freeman makes her initial appearance before a U.S. magistrate in Detroit and is released on a $10,000 unsecured bond.
- October 20 – A preliminary examination is scheduled.
Official Statements & Responses
Trinity Health confirmed that Freeman is no longer employed by the hospital but declined to comment on the extent of its cooperation with the FBI. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Department of Homeland Security referred all inquiries to the Justice Department. Freeman’s attorney, Matthew Borgula, stated that his client plans to plead not guilty. FBI Special Agent Michael Wagner, the author of the affidavit, characterized Freeman’s conduct as “knowingly and willfully” assisting the patient’s escape.
Verbatim Quotes
- “FREEMAN told the interviewers that she did not agree with ICE separating people from their families and that she knew she 'was going to set him free,'” — Special Agent Michael Wagner
Data & Statistics
What’s Next
A preliminary examination is scheduled for October 20, at which a judge will determine whether sufficient evidence exists to proceed to trial. Freeman’s case remains pending, and authorities continue to search for the escaped individual.
