Watsonville Community Hospital nurses address reports of ICE sightings

Nurses at Watsonville Community Hospital held an emergency press conference on Tuesday to reassure immigrant residents in the Pajaro Valley that they can safely seek medical care at the facility. The response followed reports of suspicious black Cadillac Escalade vehicles driving near the hospital parking lot around 8:00 a.m.

While the hospital activated a ‘Code Harbor’—an emergency protocol used to alert security of a possible U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) presence and protect patient privacy—hospital board chair Tony Nuñez stated there was no confirmed ICE presence on the campus.

Volunteers from Your Allied Rapid Response (YARR) also conducted patrols of the property and reported finding no evidence of federal agents or ICE vehicles throughout the day. ICU nurse and union representative Roseann Farris emphasized that the hospital staff is committed to standing by their patients during these reports.