The Ohio Nurses Association Board of Directors unequivocally condemns the reckless and indiscriminate actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that have resulted in the killing of a U.S. citizen, the disruption of schools, and the intimidation of healthcare facilities.
No agency tasked with enforcing the law has the right to terrorize communities, endanger lives, or undermine access to education and healthcare. Armed enforcement actions in and around schools and hospitals do not make anyone safer—they traumatize children, drive families into hiding, and prevent patients from seeking lifesaving care.
Our ethics compel us to care for all people—without fear, discrimination, or interference. Healthcare facilities must remain sanctuaries. Schools must remain safe places for learning. When ICE operations threaten nurses, health professionals, educators, patients, and students, they cross a line that cannot be ignored.
As citizens bravely push back against this terror, Congress must step up and do its job. Lawmakers have a responsibility to exercise meaningful oversight, rein in abusive enforcement practices, and pass legislation that protects civil rights, public safety, and access to care—without exception.
We stand with the families and communities harmed by these actions, and we demand immediate accountability, transparency, and an end to enforcement practices that treat human beings as collateral damage. Public safety is not achieved through fear and violence—it is built through trust, dignity, and respect for human rights. Hands off our communities.
Hands off our schools. Hands off our care. Our duty is to care. Our obligation is to speak out.
—Ohio Nurses Association Board of Directors