Nurses at Watsonville Community Hospital held an emergency news conference on Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 27, after reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had been seen on the hospital property at 8 a.m. Their message to immigrant residents of the Pajaro Valley: it is safe to come in for care.
"We need to make sure that our community knows that our patients are safe here," said Roseann Farris, a nurse and union representative, Lookout Santa Cruz reported. Nearly a dozen nurses and community members joined her.
What was reported, and what wasn't confirmed
A volunteer with the rapid-response group Your Allied Rapid Response told Lookout that hospital staff had spotted four black Cadillac Escalades near the hospital that morning. Legal observers who patrolled the property didn't see any immigration agents. Hospital board chair Tony Nuñez said the hospital has not been able to confirm whether ICE agents visited, and that community members can feel safe seeking care there.
Farris said staff follow specific protocols if agents come to the hospital. Patients are kept away from common areas, security is stationed at the main entrances and exits, and immigration agents are not allowed in patient areas.
Salinas: county denies reports
The same day, Monterey County officials called some reports of federal immigration agents at Natividad Medical Center in Salinas false, Local News Matters reported. In a statement, the county said there was no ICE activity on the hospital campus and that the hospital remained open, with medical care continuing without interruption. According to Local News Matters, the rumors included a post by a California Nurses Association labor representative.