Sanctuary-for-All Resolution
in response to the Trump Administration’s attacks on immigrants, transgender, and LGBTQ+ people
February 2025
NUHW’s Executive Board hereby reaffirms its Sanctuary Union status and amends our 2017 resolution to read as follows:
Whereas President Trump declared a national emergency at the border with Mexico, increased the number of military personnel at the border, relaunched efforts to build a wall on the Mexican border, unconstitutionally ordered an end to birthright citizenship, shut down legal routes for immigration and asylum, suspended refugee resettlement programs, and began mass deportations of undocumented immigrants;
Whereas President Trump rescinded the prohibition on raids and arrests by U.S. immigration agents at or near “sensitive locations” including healthcare facilities;
Whereas President Trump’s Attorney General ordered the defunding of Sanctuary Cities and jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities;
Whereas, on January 28, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14187, titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” which directs federal agencies to restrict gender-affirming medical treatments for people under the age of 19, including surgeries, hormone therapies, and related procedures;
Whereas this executive order led several healthcare institutions to suspend or cease providing essential gender-affirming care to transgender minors, which is recognized as evidence-based and medically necessary by the American Medical Association and the American Psychological Association;
Whereas President Trump signed other executive orders targeting LGBTQ+ individuals, including:
- removing coverage for gender affirming care from federal health insurance policies;
- placing restrictions on federal gender markers, such as passports, that reflect anything other than assigned sex at birth;
- reinstating and expanding the military ban on transgender service members;
- reinstating the Global Gag Rule to halt funding for reproductive health care organizations worldwide, which disproportionately affects LGBTQ+ people, women, and girls;
- Threatening the elimination of federal funding for schools and criminal prosecution of educators for supporting and affirming LGBTQ+ students;
Whereas NUHW members in dozens of hospitals, clinics, and other facilities report increased levels of fear, anxiety, and insecurity among patients, healthcare workers, and family members;
Whereas denying or restricting access to gender-affirming care constitutes discrimination based on gender identity and infringes upon the rights of transgender and LGBTQ+ individuals;
Whereas NUHW affirms that healthcare is a fundamental human right;
Whereas the integrity of our healthcare system requires that patients feel absolutely confident they can seek medical care and assistance without risk of detention and/or deportation by immigration and law enforcement authorities;
Whereas healthcare workers have pledged an ethical responsibility to protect and serve their patients;
Whereas many cities — including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Oakland, Santa Ana, New York, and Chicago — have declared themselves “Sanctuary Cities” for immigrants and in some cases established municipal ID programs to protect immigrants with no identification from being detained unnecessarily;
Whereas California state legislators passed the California Values Acts in 2018, limiting coordination with immigration enforcement to the fullest extent possible while complying with state and federal laws, and the State Attorney General issued updated guidance limiting assistance with immigration enforcement in public spaces operated by the state including public schools, healthcare facilities, courthouses, and libraries while encouraging privately operated healthcare facilities to do the same.
Now, therefore, be it resolved that:
NUHW will actively protect the rights and safety of every member of our union, our community, and all patients, including transgender and LGBTQ+ individuals, undocumented people, and their families.
NUHW will not voluntarily cooperate with federal agents to enforce immigration laws; NUHW will not collect personal information from our members or other individuals which might reveal their immigration status, except as required by federal I-9 requirements applicable to NUHW employees.
NUHW offers its unwavering support for the rights of women, transgender, and LGBTQ+ individuals to access medically necessary, evidence-based care, including reproductive healthcare and gender-affirming care, without interference or discrimination.
NUHW urges healthcare providers and institutions to continue offering gender-affirming care to patients of all ages, in accordance with established medical guidelines and ethical obligations, and to resist unwarranted political pressures that compromise patient care.
NUHW urges state and local governments to enact and enforce robust anti-discrimination laws that protect transgender and LGBTQ+ individuals in healthcare settings, ensuring that all patients receive equitable and respectful treatment.
NUHW declares its support for new city and state legislation aimed at protecting immigrants, transgender, and LGBTQ people, including but not limited to: five new proposals in front of
Los Angeles City Council that, if enacted, would protect immigrants from federal government immigration crackdowns; and SB59, aka “the Transgender Privacy Act,” which would introduce a process for sealing court documents related to gender transition.
NUHW declares its support for Sanctuary Cities and municipal ID programs.
NUHW reaffirms itself as a “Sanctuary Union” and a member of the growing network of sanctuary institutions that are committed to ensuring the safety and security of all members of our community regardless of their immigration status or gender identity.
NUHW will request that hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, jails, and other healthcare facilities
where NUHW members work declare their support for and protection of transgender, LGBTQ+, and undocumented people and their families, affirmatively create a welcoming environment for them, and declare themselves to be “safe zones” so that no member of our community feels threatened when seeking medical care.
