National Nurses United

W ith that in mind, RNs have been taking action in a variety of ways. A call for volunteers with NNU's RN Response Network disaster relief program to serve on standby should the program require help in providing first aid to detained immigrant children and families netted more than 900 signups in just a few days. NNU nurses across the country continue to protest, in solidarity with immigrant rights groups and concerned citizens, and volunteer their time and services. "I [have worked in] mental hospitals, and I see how our soldiers are suffering with PTSD. These kids can suffer from the same ailment, PTSD, from what they are encountering—not only what they went through in their home country, but also on their voyage here to us, and then the situations they are confronted with here," said El Paso RN Hilda Prieto, who came with Cooper to bear witness to the Tornil- lo detention camp. "That's why nurses are out here. If there's an injus- tice, our government needs to know they have people to answer to." Before traveling out to Tornillo, Cooper and Prieto had earlier in the day joined a contingent of dozens of nurses and some 1,000 community members to march on ICE field offices in El Paso, in an action organized by the Border Network for Human Rights. "We are nurses, and we care for people all throughout the spectrum," said Roemer, who had traveled from California to stand up for immi- grant rights. "Nurses are really worried about the impact [family sepa- ration] will have on children, on families, and our communities, both here in Texas and across the country where these kids are being sent." Diaz, who also came out to march to ICE headquarters, says that as a nurse who cares for mothers and newborns, she felt compelled to march because, "We understand the importance of mother and child bonding. We understand what the separation does to these children." NNU board member Martese Chism, RN, who traveled from Chicago to protest in El Paso, said the date of the march, Juneteenth, aligned with her long history of fighting for civil rights. "The reason I felt compelled to come here today is because today is June 19, the day that Texas freed the slaves, and so I'm here to tell [our government] to do the right thing and free the children," said Chism. Nurses at the border and across the country will continue to stand up and to speak out for the health and safety of immigrant children and families. "Everyone, regardless of where you were born, should have rights, and be treated like a human being, not like an animal," said Cooper. "That's why nurses are here, to fight for their rights." Kari Jones is a communications specialist with National Nurses United. M AY | J U N E 2 0 1 8 W W W . N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G N A T I O N A L N U R S E 15

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