Oregon Nurses at Legacy Emanuel Instructed to Stop Complaining About ICE Agents Inside the Facility
Despite instructing its nursing staff to “cease and desist” from complaining that ICE agents are “roaming” the corridors of Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland, the hospital claims in a statement that the health and safety of its patients remains the highest priority.
In a statement, Legacy Health further notes that its commitment to providing medical care extends to individuals in law enforcement custody, regardless of their immigration or citizenship status.
Representing the nursing staff is the Oregon Nursing Association (ONA), the recipient of a letter from Legacy Health, which has confirmed that healthcare workers began complaining that federal agents roaming around the hospital since late last year were in violation of hospital policy.
ICE Agents Pressurize Staff to Skip Medical Assessments to Speed Up the Hospital Discharge Process
Complaints were that federal agents were accompanying patients during treatment, roaming around non-public areas, and pressuring hospital staff to omit assessments and tests so that the patients could be discharged quickly.
In a letter to Legacy dated December 10, 2025, ONA states that these actions by federal agents placed patients and nurses at risk and created a climate of fear and stress. ONA also requested a meeting with Legacy administrators to discuss a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding the presence of federal agents in the hospital. ONA did not receive a reply.
However, on January 16, ONA received a cease-and-desist letter from hospital attorneys, David Wright Tremaine LLP, instructing ONA to refrain from making misleading and false statements.
Legacy then issued a statement that no ICE agents had entered the hospital unless they were accompanying a patient in custody.
ICE has increased its operations in sensitive locations such as hospitals nationwide since the Trump administration expanded immigration enforcement priorities.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts (Oregon) and Migration Policy Institute unauthorized population profile (Oregon)
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This has led to more frequent agent presence during medical treatment and heightened tensions with healthcare workers over patient privacy and care delays.
Biden Administration Guidelines for Actions in Protected Areas Were Rescinded by Trump at the Start of 2025
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rescinded the guidelines for Enforcement Actions in or Near Protected Areas on January 20, 2025. As a result, previously protected locations—including hospitals, schools, churches, funeral graveside ceremonies, and weddings—are now subject to increased federal agent presence under DHS enforcement policy.
This table summarizes what the federal protected areas policy did before the 2025 rescission and what replaced it:
| Policy item | 2021 guidance | After Jan 20 2025 memo |
|---|---|---|
| Default approach | Avoid enforcement in or near protected areas to the fullest extent possible | No bright line location rules / rely on enforcement discretion |
| Hospitals included | Medical and mental healthcare facilities listed as protected areas | Hospitals explicitly treated as protected areas for ICE enforcement decisions |
| Examples covered | Schools / places of worship / child gathering sites / social services / disaster relief / funerals and weddings / demonstrations | Memorandum focuses on discretion and does not publish a broad list as binding rules |
| Exceptions | Allowed in limited exigent situations such as national security threats or imminent harm | Case by case authorization rather than predefined exceptions list |
| Approval process | Prior HQ approval needed absent exigent circumstances | AFOD or ASAC authorizes actions case by case / consult legal for actions at demonstrations |
Under the Constitution, federal agents have not been allowed to enter places where people have a ‘reasonable expectation of privacy’ without a warrant. In hospitals, these spaces include examination rooms, patient rooms, and staff offices.
According to KFF, the independent source for health policy research, polling, and news, there has been increased ICE agent activity inside healthcare facilities following the recent Minnesota shooting. KFF states that reports have been received about ICE agents “showing up at hospitals and other healthcare facilities, and of accessing spaces such as examination rooms, without a warrant.