Los Angeles Nurses Decry ICE Presence at Dignity Health Hospitals

(GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA) Los Angeles nurses are condemning the continued ICE presence inside Dignity Health facilities, saying agents’ actions at Glendale Memorial Hospital and California Hospital Medical Center are putting patients, staff, and community trust at risk. Led by the California Nurses Association (CNA), which represents more than 100,000 nurses statewide, they argue hospitals must be safe spaces where people can seek care without fear, regardless of immigration status.

The push comes after a tense episode in July 2025, when nurses say ICE agents and contractors stayed for nearly a week at Glendale Memorial Hospital to re-apprehend a patient who had suffered a medical emergency while in ICE custody.

The July incident and immediate concerns

According to nurses and advocates, the patient — identified as Milagro Solis Portillo — received treatment at Glendale Memorial Hospital while ICE or contracted officers waited in public and patient areas. Nurses report the environment became hostile and invasive, with officers:

• Stationed near bedsides
• Positioned behind reception counters
• Waiting in public lobbies and patient areas

They say the ICE presence interfered with care and discharge planning, and at times blocked patients from seeing family, visitors, or legal counsel. The CNA says these actions created an atmosphere of fear that lingered well beyond the incident.

Hospital position and legal context

Dignity Health has acknowledged community concerns but states it cannot legally restrict law enforcement from public areas like lobbies and waiting rooms. The company has not publicly addressed specific claims that officers positioned themselves in clinical spaces or behind desks.

Nurses and immigrant advocates counter that any ICE presence in hospital settings:

• Chills care and deters people from seeking treatment
• Erodes patient privacy and confidentiality
• Undermines safety for both patients and staff

They argue hospitals should adopt strong sanctuary practices that keep immigration enforcement away from patients and staff except when required by law.

Patient access and public health impact

Nurses say the impact reaches far beyond a single facility. The CNA points to rising no-show rates at Southern California clinics, with some locations reporting increases from 9% to over 30% since the summer. They attribute these changes to fear tied to ICE presence.

Clinicians report:

• Treating patients who waited too long to seek care
• Patients leaving appointments early after spotting officers or hearing enforcement rumors
• Parents skipping pediatric visits and pregnant patients postponing prenatal care
• People with chronic conditions missing checkups

Health workers warn this pattern weakens public health by pushing vulnerable patients out of care. Analysis by VisaVerge.com notes similar patterns when immigration enforcement is visible in community spaces; hospitals are particularly sensitive because they are supposed to be places of care, not control.

CNA demands and proposed policy changes

The CNA has used the Glendale episode to press hospitals to:

• Ban ICE agents and contractors from medical areas
• Adopt clear policies for handling law enforcement activity
• Provide staff training on:
  • How to respond to officers’ requests
  • How to shield patient information
  • How to protect access for visitors and attorneys
• Clarify who may speak with law enforcement, where officers can wait, and how staff should handle demands for information
• Ensure clear lines to legal counsel and patient advocates when officers arrive

They stress the importance of federal health privacy rules under HIPAA, noting the legal and ethical duty to keep patient information confidential. For background on health privacy rights, readers can review the U.S. government’s summary of HIPAA privacy rules on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website: https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/laws-regulations/index.html.

Policy landscape: California S.B. 81

This fight arrives just after California Senate Bill 81 (S.B. 81) took effect. The law, which the CNA championed, requires hospital operators to put plans in place for addressing immigration enforcement activity in healthcare facilities.

Supporters say S.B. 81 is meant to:

• Stop scenes like the July standoff by clarifying procedures
• Protect patient privacy
• Set expectations for staff when officers appear

The CNA says it will push for full enforcement of S.B. 81 across Dignity Health locations and other hospital systems.

Hospital and official responses

Dignity Health reiterates it must comply with the law and cannot bar law enforcement from public spaces. Nurses and advocates respond that hospitals have wide discretion to:

• Define clinical areas
• Protect care settings
• Set reasonable limits on access that safeguard privacy and safety

They argue that even a limited ICE presence can have a sweeping effect because patients see uniforms, feel watched, and worry that seeking help could put their families at risk.

The CNA’s campaign has drawn support from immigrant rights groups and community clinics that report sharp drops in attendance since July. Health workers describe:

• Parents skipping pediatric visits
• Pregnant patients postponing prenatal care
• People with chronic conditions missing checkups

Impact on patients and staff — frontline consequences

Nurses describe consequences that go beyond fear. They say ICE presence:

• Interfered with care by delaying discharges and interrupting bedside conversations
• Restricted access to visitors and lawyers
• Intimidated staff when uniformed officers stood near clinical discussions
• Increased risk of privacy breaches by being visible near records and workstations

Union leaders emphasize nurses’ duty to protect every patient’s privacy and dignity, arguing the ICE presence made that duty harder to fulfill. They urge administrators to prioritize safety by:

• Declaring clinical areas off-limits to enforcement unless lawfully required
• Protecting patient information from disclosure without proper legal process
• Respecting visitor access unless a lawful reason exists to restrict it

“Keep immigration enforcement out of care settings so doctors and nurses can focus on patients, not police.” — CNA and allied groups

What comes next

As of October 27, 2025, the standoff remains unresolved. Nurses continue to demand policy changes and public accountability from Dignity Health, while federal authorities maintain their role in immigration enforcement.

The CNA and allied groups plan to:

1. Expand staff training
2. Increase community outreach
3. Apply pressure on hospital leaders to reaffirm hospitals as safe spaces

They say the goal is simple: people should feel safe coming to the doctor, no matter their status.

Health workers warn that without clear guardrails, episodes like the July stay at Glendale Memorial Hospital will become more common, leading to:

• Worse health outcomes
• Deeper community fear
• A breakdown in trust that could take years to repair

For now, nurses’ message remains direct: keep immigration enforcement out of care settings so healthcare professionals can focus solely on patients.