Kaiser Permanente nurses have been protesting one hospital’s mission to terminate a colleague whose immigration status is in jeopardy. The caregiver is embroiled in a status renewal process that sweeps her past one deadline after another. Kaiser did allow the nurse to keep looking after patients while the dispute dragged on, until recently. At some point, her employer placed her on administrative leave, and she feared the hospital might terminate her. Indeed Kaiser endeavored to fire her, and they almost succeeded—almost.
Trump’s demented logic hurts everyday civilians
Nurses at USC Keck and Norris to strike for seven days. Image from CNA press release, February 2026.
As Trump terrorizes the United States’ immigrant population, his regime is widening their scope to include current applicants for citizenship. Prosecuting anyone following every expectation to naturalize implodes the myth that immigrating “the right way” is somehow foolproof. This act of discrimination makes clear that Trump’s vendetta against immigrants goes beyond scrutinizing their means of entry. This is how he’ll ensure he is remembered, for continuing America’s legacy of displacing brown people and destroying their communities.
Meanwhile, Trump is dismantling protections and weakening legal infrastructure created for the safety of those transiting the immigration process. Trump’s meddling adds up to a bureaucratic paper jam whose real-life consequences affect millions. The nurse nearly ripped from her life as a caregiver in California observed every step in our beleaguered immigration process. And yet it didn’t matter, did not shield her from abandonment by her employer and the country she wished to belong. Worse, her ordeal tells other healthcare providers whose immigration status hangs in the balance that they are not safe at work.
The Kaiser nurse’s dilemma is indicative of how MAGA-style government destabilizes American living. Trumpism in San Francisco spreads like a computer virus, one we redownload with every new politician. In April 2025, Trump ordered the Justice Department to terminate San Francisco immigration judges notorious for granting asylum to refugees. Several refugees in question fled countries all but flattened under the imperial, capitalist hand of the United States. This targeted assault reeked of retaliation against the city’s sanctuary policy. San Francisco is hardly immune to Trump and his stupefying influence.
Kaiser, like any corporate entity in the hot seat, claimed at one point that their hands were tied. It still doesn’t explain why the hospital abandoned an innocent, qualified caregiver to one of public health’s greatest enemies. Outrage surrounding her looming termination culminated in a protest outside Kaiser's San Francisco Medical Center on May 11th. Public attention put the squeeze on the healthcare conglomerate, but the real pressure came from the California Nurses Association.
Never f*ck with unions.
The California Nurses Association condemned Kaiser Permanente’s initial decision to terminate the nurse, herself a member of this union. Defending one of their own, the CNA went so far as to accuse Kaiser of aligning with Trump’s ideals. Still, it appeared the hospital wouldn’t budge. The nurse was all too aware that her citizenship depended on her employment, and vice-versa. It is a living nightmare for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients, called “dreamers.” Everything a dreamer like this nurse has worked towards, however she rebuilt her life, it could all disappear overnight. Once the hospital imposed such a fate on the nurse and union member, the CNA stepped in.
The Moscone Center in San Francisco, California, held the 2012 American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting, attended by California Nurses Association members. Creative commons.
Fate intervened in what Nurse Angela Karanja-Schmit (critical care department, 26 years) called a “historical win.” One recent Thursday, the nurse in trouble answered her phone expecting to be fired from her job. Instead, management revealed that her leave of absence had been extended one more month. Soon after, the nurse, cautiously optimistic after good news from the hospital, also learned that her DACA renewal was approved.
“I was ecstatic,” said the nurse, who arrived in the United States as a toddler. “…Everything feels so surreal…If Kaiser didn't extend my leave, I would have lost my job.”
Relief aside, the caregiver will remain on unpaid leave pending the finalization of these updates to her immigration status. Unsurprisingly, she has endured a hail of slings and arrows on social media. “There are definitely a lot of cruel comments,” she confirmed. “But I think it comes from a lack of information and knowledge on this topic.” Her generous interpretation of hateful rhetoric speaks volumes. “I think it’s just all coming from a place of ignorance, honestly. It was like ‘Oh, she came here illegally.’ And that’s not true. I came here legally. Other people were like, well, ‘She needs to follow the rules and also just get her citizenship,’ and, like, that’s what I’m trying to do.”
