Nurses at more than 50 hospitals across eight states plan to stage protests Feb. 19 calling for Congress to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
National Nurses United, the country’s largest union of registered nurses with more than 225,000 members, is coordinating the protests. In a Feb. 13 news release, the organization said ICE, Customs and Border Patrol and other federal immigration enforcement agencies are a public health threat, citing concerns about patient access to care and conditions in detention facilities.
In a statement to Becker’s, the Department of Homeland Security said it “provides comprehensive medical care,” including medical, dental and mental health intake screening within 12 hours of an individual arriving to a detention facility. DHS also said detainees are given a full health assessment within 14 days and have access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care.
National Nurses United is demanding Congress stop funding these agencies and abolish ICE. “Nurses also blame hospital executives for failing to clearly side with nurses and immigrant patients by acting to keep ICE out of hospitals,” the release said.
Protests will take place at 47 California hospitals, four hospitals in Florida, two in Texas and one hospital in five other states: Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri and North Carolina.
National Nurses United did not provide an estimated number of RNs planning to participate in the protests.
Read more about how the federal government’s immigration crackdown is affecting the healthcare industry here.
The American Hospital Association declined to comment.
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