Immigrant rights: How you can help protect your patients, families, and communities

With reports of ICE arrests and detentions increasing, immigrants once again are facing greater uncertainty and may be reluctant to seek medical care. 

In recent weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision on June 25 allowing the federal government to move forward with ending Temporary Protected Status for Haitian and Syrian immigrants. On July 7, ICE officers shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston during what the Department of Homeland Security described as an immigration enforcement action. On July 13, ICE officers shot and killed a Colombian man in Biddesford, Maine. 

WSNA has gone on record opposing the assault on immigrant rights, and the 2025 WSNA General Assembly adopted a motion declaring our “support for the rights and fair treatment of immigrants to the United States.” 

This is consistent with the Code of Ethics for Nurses, which says, "Where there are human rights violations, nurses ought to and must stand up for those rights and demand accountability." 

Resources 

Nurses have an important role to play. WSNA and our national union, AFT, have resources to help immigrants know their rights and be prepared in the case of a confrontation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, including information about handling an ICE raid in a healthcare setting and information for patients and families.