The Oregon Nurses Association is conducting private training sessions to help nurses resist federal immigration enforcement in hospitals. These sessions, not open to the public or recorded, aim to protect patient care amid rising ICE activity. The union emphasizes legal and ethical obligations while criticizing enforcement tactics.
The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA), representing about 15,000 nurses and affiliated with the National Nurses United, has launched training sessions for members to counter Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) actions in healthcare settings. An internal email, subject-lined "Trainings: Accountability for ICE," describes the initiative as a way to "join the fight against ICE and CBP in our hospitals."
The email highlights nurses' core duties: "As frontline healthcare workers, we are entrusted with a fundamental responsibility: to preserve life, reduce harm, and provide care with dignity to everyone who comes through our doors." It warns that increasing ICE and CBP presence in Oregon fosters fear among immigrant communities, deterring them from seeking timely medical help and thus endangering lives by interfering with ethical and legal obligations.
Led by ONA's Legal and Government Relations teams, the sessions—held one early Wednesday and another Thursday morning—cover nurses' legal rights and obligations during ICE or CBP visits, the union's accountability efforts against the agencies, and involvement in upcoming legislation to safeguard hospitals as healing spaces. Attendees must register in advance, and the trainings are explicitly not recorded or posted online.
A registered nurse who attended one session expressed unease about the secrecy, asking, "My question is WHY? Are they afraid that what they are ‘training’ is possibly against the law?" The nurse noted discussions on proposed laws limiting ICE near hospitals, churches, and community centers, but appreciated lawyers' clarification that nurses "can’t physically obstruct ICE."
ONA Director of Communications Peter Starzynski defended the program, stating it supports nurses in delivering quality care despite federal agents' presence, educates on federal and state laws for licensing compliance, affirms ethical duties to provide respectful care regardless of immigration status, and guides on protecting patient confidentiality and autonomy. He accused "unaccountable immigration enforcement" of overstepping authority and harming local communities, including patients and providers.
This comes amid tensions, including the recent death of ICU nurse Alex Pretti during a confrontation with Border Patrol agents, where he intervened while armed; the incident is under investigation. ONA honored Pretti at a January 25 vigil, posting on Facebook: "We must not standby. We must stand up against injustice and human rights violations. That is exactly what Alex Pretti was doing." The union cited the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics, Provision 8.2, urging nurses to demand accountability for human rights violations.
Starzynski added that hospitals require all entrants to follow rules, no agency should bypass patient protection protocols, and taxpayer funds should not undermine public health or trust in care institutions. ONA has long pushed hospitals to uphold state and federal patient protections.
