CNOs should prepare staff nurses for interactions with ICE agents

CNOs should prepare their nursing staffs for possible interactions with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, says the American Civil Liberties Union. Hospitals are required to allow ICE agents into public areas, including lobbies and waiting areas, but under current law, they can bar them from entering enforced private areas, including treatment rooms and inpatient units. The ACLU says health systems should identify and distinguish private spaces from public areas and use signs and security guards to clarify private areas. ICE agents cannot access private spaces without a valid judicial warrant signed by a judge that identifies the patient’s name and specific location. However, Minnesota health care workers say ICE agents have been present in hospitals without warrants and are entering patient rooms. (HealthLeaders Media article, 2/4/26)