National Nurses United

NATIONAL N ational nurses United (NNU) nurses rallied in Washington, D.C. on April 13 to demand that Con- gress abolish ICE by immediately voting to cut off funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and to rescind the hundreds of billions in funding it received through the Republican budget act H.R. 1 last year. ICE has only existed for a few decades and now serves as a lawless paramilitary force that Trump uses to terrorize citizens and noncitizens alike, and to brutalize oppo- nents of his authoritarian government. Allied unions and groups, as well as mem- bers of Congress, such as Sen. Ed Markey and former Rep. Cori Bush, spoke at the event. "Nurses believe everybody has the free- dom to move and the freedom to stay in search of a better life," said Jamie Brown, RN and president of NNU. "We demand that this war against immigrant communi- ties ends now. Nurses don't believe any human is illegal; we care for everyone." "I'm proud to stand with National Nurses United in calling for ICE to be defunded and abolished," said Sen. Ed Markey. "Immigrants should not be terrorized, communities should not live in fear, and the Trump administration should not be allowed to run roughshod over our laws and Constitution. I call on my colleagues in Congress to join us in saying no more money for roving patrols, no more mass deportation, and no more ICE." Nurses from across the country attended the event, including NNU affiliates New York State Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Asso- ciation, District of Columbia Nurses Association, California Nurses Association/ National Nurses Organizing Committee, and the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP) and Massachusetts Nurses Association. The rally was part of NNU's Nurses for Democracy 2026 Federal Lobby Day, a chance for union nurses to speak truth to Congress on behalf of their patients and communities about the dire social condi- tions working-class people in the country are facing under an authoritarian govern- ment. While President Trump continues to waste tens of billions of our taxpayer dollars to wage illegal wars around the globe that only further enrich himself and his family, his billionaire tech and Wall Street cronies, and corporations that profit off killing and destruction, hundreds of millions of people in the United States are suffering and dying without health care, food, decent housing, education, and other basic necessities. Nurses asked both representatives and senators to support legislation to stop the multiple illegal wars Trump has started, to block weapons to Israel, to abolish ICE by yanking its funding, to tax billionaires, to end the U.S. blockade on Cuba, and more. Conversely, they asked officials to oppose legislation that strips millions of citizens, particularly women and lower-income peo- ple, of their right to vote and to oppose any funding of ICE. As members of the most trusted profes- sion in the United States as well as the largest union and professional association of registered nurses, NNU nurses advocated for their vision of a healthy society where caring and compassion for the needs of working people drive our federal spending and policies, not cruelty and profits for the ultra-rich and corporations. To win pro- grams such as Medicare for All and safe staffing standards in hospitals for patients, nurses know they must first defeat Trump's fascist takeover of our democratic govern- ment and institutions. "Nurses stand against everything this administration is doing," said Brown. "Our whole mission is to heal patients and win the social conditions that help people live healthy lives. We are beyond angry that Trump is spending our taxpayer dollars to illegally bomb countries like Iran and Lebanon into obliteration while we are com- pletely abandoning our own people. We could be using that money to fund health care for all, to feed people, to provide hous- ing, and more." —Staff report NNU nurses rally to abolish ICE, lobby Congressmembers NEWS BRIEFS 8 N A T I O N A L N U R S E 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 A P R I L | M AY | J U N E 2 0 2 6

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