A U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement official said the agency was alerted to Lukasz Niec, MD, a physician affiliated with Kalamazoo, Mich.-based Bronson Healthcare, because of past child abuse allegations made against him, according to CNN.
Here are six developments in Dr. Niec's case.
1. Dr. Niec was arrested and jailed by ICE authorities last week over "administrative immigration violations," according to CNN. Dr. Niec immigrated to the U.S. as a child and has been a permanent resident of the U.S. for more than 40 years.
2. A lawyer for Dr. Niec told CNN, "From what I understand, the Michigan State Police investigated this [child abuse] allegation and found it to be without merit. We expect the child abuse investigation to be dismissed too."
3. The ICE official told the publication Dr. Niec "most recently came under agency scrutiny as a result of 18 encounters with local law enforcement. He will remain in ICE custody pending the outcome of removal proceedings," according to CNN.
4. The agency official continued, stating Dr. Niec was found "amenable to removal proceedings as a result of two 1992 state convictions for malicious destruction of property and receiving stolen property, both of which are crimes involving moral turpitude." The agency defines a crime of moral turpitude as "a crime against a person [such as assault], fraud, perjury, robbery, theft and bribery."
5. Dr. Niec's 18 encounters with law enforcement include a 2013 domestic violence charge, for which he was found not guilty; a 2008 conviction for driving while intoxicated, for which he completed probation and paid a fine; and roughly 20 charges of minor traffic offenses between 1997 and 2016, such as speeding or failure to change the address on his license, according to court documents obtained by CNN.
6. Bronson Healthcare said in a statement to Becker's Hospital Review Tuesday, "Since 2007, Dr. Niec has been a skilled and caring physician, a valued employee and respected member of the Bronson medical staff. His detention in a county jail while awaiting deportation proceedings simply does not make sense. Given all that he has contributed in the form of exemplary patient care, and Bronson's ongoing need for Dr. Niec's continued service as a hospitalist, we are requesting the community's best interest be considered and he be allowed to return to work and his family as soon as possible."
To read about Dr. Niec's case, click here.