Quick Take
Nurses at Watsonville Community Hospital held an emergency press conference Tuesday afternoon following reports of immigration agents patrolling the property. They say patients are still safe to seek services at the hospital.
Nurses at Watsonville Community Hospital want immigrant residents in the Pajaro Valley to know they can safely seek medical care at the facility amid reports of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the area Tuesday.
“We need to make sure that our community knows that our patients are safe here,” said Roseann Farris, a nurse and union representative at Watsonville Community Hospital.
Farris and nearly a dozen nurses and community members held an emergency press conference Tuesday afternoon following reports that ICE agents had been spotted on the hospital property at 8 a.m. Separately, reports that federal immigration agents detained an individual near Natividad Medical Center in Salinas had not been confirmed.
Farris and two other speakers from neighboring hospitals said immigration agents have no place in the Watsonville community.
Monica, a volunteer with Your Allied Rapid Response, told Lookout that hospital staff had spotted four black Cadillac Escalades near the hospital at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning. She declined to provide her last name.
Legal observers with the organization patrolled the hospital property, but did not see any immigration agents, according to Monica. She added that observers were patrolling around the hospital throughout the day as YARR continued to receive calls and emails about potential ICE sightings.
Hospital board chair Tony Nuñez told Lookout that the hospital has not been able to confirm whether ICE agents visited the hospital. He added that community members can feel safe when seeking care at Watsonville Community Hospital.
Farris said that if ICE agents are at the hospital, there are specific protocols staff need to follow. She said that patients are kept away from common areas and that security is stationed at the main entrances and exits. Immigration agents are not allowed in patient areas, Farris said.
Monica with YARR said the organization has been on high alert for the past couple of weeks as immigration officials increase their presence throughout California and across the country. Over the weekend, ICE agents were spotted at the Santa Cruz Main Jail in Santa Cruz attempting to detain an individual but left without taking them.
If you believe ICE is in your neighborhood, call Your Allied Rapid Response at 831-239-4289. The organization also posts updates on potential sightings on its Instagram account @yarr.scc
