Quick Take
The governing board of the Pajaro Valley Health Care District, which oversees Watsonville Community Hospital, unanimously approved a resolution to prohibit federal officials from using non-public areas of its facilities for immigration enforcement.
The Pajaro Valley Health Care District, which oversees Watsonville Community Hospital and a clinic network, has voted to prohibit federal officials from using its facilities for immigration enforcement, such as staging areas for U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) activities.
The resolution, approved unanimously Wednesday by the health care district board, establishes a policy that “non-public” areas of the district’s facilities — primarily Watsonville Community Hospital — cannot be used as processing locations, operation bases or staging areas to organize or deploy personnel, according to a board report. The new policy would not interfere with arrests that have judicial warrants or court orders, nor would it restrict any ongoing criminal investigations.
Hospital counsel Sam Bidgoli described “non-public” areas as places such a s patient rooms, offices or any part of the hospital that requires key-card access. Bidgoli said waiting rooms can also be considered a “non-public” area.
The board will consider putting signs about the restrictions around hospital parking lots, and how it would address federal agents who attempt to use the lot.
“I’m pleased to see that we’re moving forward with the county and other cities to ensure the safety of our employees and our patients here,” said board member Alexandra Friel.
Many of the patients who visit Watsonville Community Hospital or a Coastal Healthcare clinic are part of Watsonville’s immigrant community. In December, hospital CEO Stephen Gray told Lookout that the facility was seeing a gradual increase in “no-shows” for appointments, which he attributed to ongoing immigration fears and changes to Medi-Cal requirements.
Within the first two months of the year, ICE agents visited Watsonville at least nine times, including the arrest of a resident in January. Since the beginning of the second Trump administration, federal immigration agents have visited the city at least 23 times.
Earlier this week, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors adopted an ordinance barring federal immigration officials from using county facilities for enforcement purposes. The City of Watsonville, Cabrillo College and the County Office of Education adopted similar resolutions in February.
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