Patients: Know your immigration rights

The Trump Administration has changed the rules, no longer designating hospitals, as well as schools and churches, as "sensitive areas," free from immigration enforcement. Nurses make a vow to care for all people, and we know hospitals should remain places of healing, where all people can receive care, without fear. We want to ensure you know your rights.

• You have the right to REMAIN SILENT. Without a warrant signed by a judge or consent from an "authorized person," immigration officials and law enforcement can only enter public areas of a hospital or other health care facility. If they do enter a patient area and try to speak with you, you have the right not to answer any questions, including questions about where you were born, whether you are a citizen, how you entered the United States, or your immigration status. If stopped, stay calm and say, "I choose to remain silent."
• You have the right NOT TO SIGN any documents without first speaking with an attorney, no matter what an agent says. Anything you say or sign could be used against you later in any legal proceeding, including removal proceedings.
• If you have valid federal immigration DOCUMENTS, carry them to your medical appointments. For example, if you have a green card or a work permit that has not expired, always carry it with you. Don't carry a foreign passport or papers from another country, as these could be used against you in deportation proceedings.