National Nurses United, the nation's largest union of registered nurses, provided the following statement ahead of the the Friday, Jan. 23 'ICE out of Minnesota" Day of Action:

"National Nurses United stands in full support of the working people of Minnesota who are striking and reducing their economic activity to take a stand against ICE and the Trump administration. Union nurses understand the power of taking collective action against injustice - whether it's a greedy boss cutting corners on patient care or a fascist administration deploying an illegal and inhumane deportation machine.

ICE's actions in Minnesota and across the country have horrified us. As advocates for public health, we have seen clearly - much like the rest of the country - that armed federal agents on our streets and in our communities, not immigrant workers, are the biggest threat to public safety. Trump is terrorizing immigrants and our communities to keep people scared and distracted from his disastrous policies, like cutting more than a trillion dollars from working people's health care to fund billionaire tax breaks and the militarization of immigration enforcement.

ICE has no place in our hospitals and communities, and it has no place in our federal government as an institution, period. Nurses will be on the front lines of leading this fight to abolish ICE and build with our patients, our communities, and all working people toward our vision for a healthy society."

National Nurses United is the largest and fastest-growing union and professional association of registered nurses in the United States with more than 225,000 members nationwide. NNU affiliates include California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee, DC Nurses Association, Michigan Nurses Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and New York State Nurses Association.