ICE officers in the healthcare setting: What nurses need to know
As of January 20, 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents can now enter hospitals (as well as schools and churches) for enforcement actions. In the case of ICE agents in healthcare settings, nurses must follow the law while also ensuring patient safety and privacy. This can prove difficult as nurses are caught between their ethical duty to protect patients (and to provide optimal care to all patients, regardless of immigration status) and their responsibility to comply with the law.