Update: ICE says Michigan doctor had 18 police encounters before arrest

KALAMAZOO, MI -- Bronson HealthCare is advocating for the release of a doctor who was jailed by federal immigration agents last week after spending nearly 40 years in the United States.

On Tuesday, Jan. 16, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agents arrested Dr. Lukasz Niec, 43, at his Kalamazoo home and he was placed in the Calhoun County Jail.

Niec, a doctor at Bronson HealthCare, came to the U.S. with his family at age 5.

Bronson HealthCare is "following the situation surrounding the detention of Dr. Lukasz Niec closely and are doing everything we can to advocate for Dr. Niec," a statement the hospital sent on Monday, Jan. 22, reads.

"We have been in contact with our elected representatives and we have our immigration counsel coordinating with Dr. Niec's attorney to explore all options to secure his prompt release from detention," Bronson said.

"There are two misdemeanor convictions from 26 years ago that have been cited by ICE to support Dr. Niec's detention," Bronson said. "We believe that Dr. Niec's recent history as a contributing member of our community is far more indicative of the type of person he is than the incidents that occurred when he was a teenager."

"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," the Bronson statement reads.

"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," Bronson said in the statement.

Niec remains jailed today, nearly a week after federal agents showed up at his door and arrested him.

His story has grabbed national headlines after MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette broke the story of his arrest.

Niec's colleague, Penny Rathburn, said she spoke with Niec by phone Monday, Jan. 22, morning.

"He's been very tearful during conversations," she said. "I told him people are supporting him, meeting with the news and writing letters. He was humbled by that."

Lukasz R. Niec, M.D. (Courtesy | Bronson HealthCare)

The conversation was brief, Rathburn said. He is allowed to make phone calls from inside the jail, she said. Fellow inmates told Niec their hearing dates have been pushed back, and he doesn't know when he will have a chance to go before a judge, Rathburn said.

"He's sometimes cheerful, sometimes embarrassed," Rathburn said. "He doesn't understand why he's there either, anymore than anyone else."

Niec's wife, Rachelle Niec, said she believes the arrest stemmed from two unrelated misdemeanor convictions when he was in high school, one of destruction of property less than $100 and the other of receiving stolen property. The most recent conviction was in 1992, she said.

She doesn't think it's right that he was jailed for convictions from more than two decades ago, when her husband was 17.

No one from ICE had spoken with her as of Monday morning, she said.

Kalamazoo County court records show Niec pleaded guilty to a 2008 operating impaired by liquor offense in Kalamazoo County. He completed probation, and the conviction was set aside, the plea withdrawn and the case dismissed, as part of a plea agreement.

He was charged with domestic violence in 2013 and a jury found him not guilty after a trial, record show. He has traffic violations including speeding and careless driving, court records show.

An ICE spokesman at the Detroit Field Office said he was checking on information about the case on Friday, Jan. 19.

A follow-up request for information from ICE Monday morning was met with a response that states ICE public affairs will not be working for the duration of the government shut down, which persisted Monday morning.

"All of ICE's public affairs officers are out of the office for the duration of the government shutdown. We are unable to respond to media queries during this period because we are prohibited by law from working. If you still require a response, please resubmit your query upon the government re-opening," an email response from ICE Public Affairs said Monday.

The Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Chicago contacted Niec's wife to offer support, she said. She remembered it was the same place they went to get her husband's permanent Green Card within the past four years, he said.

She was working as a nurse at Bronson HealthCare Battle Creek Monday while also handling other family responsibilities that Niec would normally help out with.

The couple married in July 2016, she said. They have one daughter each and they are planning to have another child together, Rachel Niec said. She said her husband's daughter was sent to her mother's home when Niec was arrested.

Bronon is joining a growing list of supporters advocating for Niec's release.

Rathburn said she put out calls in different medical communities, asking for letters in support of Niec to be forwarded to an immigration judge. She estimated she had at least 30 letters by Monday. Supporters have contacted Congressman Upton's office and they're reaching out to anyone else who might be able to help, Rathburn said.

"The consensus about his character is overwhelming with no single complaint I have ever heard from anyone over 10 years," Kwsai Al-Rahhal, M.D. wrote.

"He is loving, caring and respectful. I have seen how he treats my own family and my kids love 'uncle Lucas.' I truly hope you give him the chance to know him," Al-Rahhal wrote.

An attorney has been hired in the case, Niec said.

Supporters have been told a hearing could happen in February, Rathburn said, though the attorney is fighting to move up the hearing date while also working to file paperwork for Niec to obtain U.S. citizenship.

"We're just kind of in a waiting game," Rathburn said. Colleagues feel the impact within the hospital system, where Niec was in charge of writing the physician schedule every day, and someone who would pick up extra shifts, Rathburn said.

Deportation is the worst case scenario, she said.

"What would that look like for Lukasz?" she said. "He doesn't speak Polish. He's been there once since he left. If he were deported, how would his family survive?

"We just need him back."