San Diego nurses stepped out of the hospital and onto the sidewalk yesterday, staging anti-ICE protests outside UC San Diego Health's Hillcrest and La Jolla campuses and at Palomar Medical Center Poway. Led by members of National Nurses United, the demonstrations cast federal immigration enforcement as a public health threat and urged Congress to stop funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Union members picketed outside the three facilities, telling KPBS they were out there to educate the public and advocate for our patients against ICE. UC San Diego Health registered nurse Kendle Hargrove said enforcement has ramped up and left patients scared to seek care. In a written statement to KPBS, the Department of Homeland Security said ICE does not conduct enforcement at hospitals, period and would only enter if there were an active danger to public safety.
National day of action
According to National Nurses United, the Feb. 19 protests were part of a coordinated day of action across eight states. The union called federal immigration enforcement one of the country’s top public health threats and pushed lawmakers to defund ICE and CBP. It also accused hospital executives of failing to adequately protect immigrant patients, saying the local actions are part of a broader effort to pressure hospitals and elected officials into adopting stronger safeguards.
What SB 81 requires
On the policy front, protesters pressed hospital leaders to spell out how staff should comply with Senate Bill 81, which treats immigration status and place of birth as protected medical information and restricts disclosure to immigration authorities without a valid judicial warrant. The law also requires providers to document and notify management of any immigration enforcement requests and to limit access to nonpublic areas, according to California Legislative Information.
Policy friction
SB 81 is unfolding against a backdrop of federal shifts. The administration has signaled it may allow enforcement in sensitive locations such as hospitals, a move that prompted state lawmakers and advocates to push for added protections, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. Nurses say that mix of federal and state guidance leaves bedside staff uncertain about how to respond when federal agents seek access, which is a key reason union members are demanding clear, binding hospital procedures.
What to watch
The union says the campaign is not stopping with Thursday's pickets. National Nurses United plans to continue its "Red Alert" hospital tour with a stop in Oceanside this weekend, and local organizers say they will keep pressing executives to publish clear protocols and training for staff in line with SB 81. How hospital administrations respond, whether by posting detailed rules or revising visitor and law enforcement policies, will determine whether the union's demands turn into concrete changes at the bedside.
