The nurse, a 34-year-old surgical nurse from the Philippines who arrived in the U.S. when she was two years old, is at risk of losing her job because her DACA work authorization has been delayed. DACA protects undocumented young adults who came to the country as children from deportation and provides work authorization every two years.
On Monday, medical personnel rallied in support of the nurse outside Kaiser, chanting, "Do the right thing, Kaiser. Do the right thing."
Colleagues say time is running out for the nurse, who is "slated to be terminated on Thursday because her DACA work paperwork has been delayed by the Trump administration," according to Sydney Simpson, a registered nurse who spoke at the rally.
The nurse's coworkers are urging Kaiser to extend her 30-day unpaid administrative leave while her paperwork is processed.
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"We're not asking Kaiser to pay her. Just keep her on unpaid leave," Simpson said and added, "If she were a nurse at the UC system, that's what they would do. She would stay on unpaid leave until her paperwork comes through. But Kaiser is not negotiating. They're not budging. We have sent them letters."
ABC7 Eyewitness News data team found that as of March of 2025, there were more than 16,000 active DACA recipients in the Bay Area, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data.
Advocates say processing delays have grown significantly. San Francisco's Central American Resource Center is seeing DACA delays of up to five months.
"Processes and applications, that took about three weeks, to get approved are now taking months, many months. What we're seeing is that many of the work authorization documents are expiring before a recipient, but the beneficiaries are getting, an approval notice," said Lariza Dugan-Cuadra, executive director of the Central American Resource Center.
Bill Hing, a professor of law and migration studies at UC San Francisco, said employers such as Kaiser Permanente face difficult legal questions in cases like this.
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"I think that Kaiser can argue I'm not breaking the law that doesn't allow me to employ unauthorized workers if I'm acting in good faith. Okay. Are they violating a labor law if they let somebody go who does not have an employment authorization document? I think that they are treading on dangerous territory because DACA recipients historically have been getting renewals," Hing said.
Hing added that some employers may fear scrutiny from the federal government.
"If Kaiser decides to continue hiring somebody without a valid employment authorization document, they do risk the Trump administration coming in and doing an audit. And so will they be fined for doing this? In my opinion, it all depends on whether or not a judge determines that Kaiser was acting in good faith or not," he said.
For the nurse at the center of the case, supporters say the outcome could determine whether she can continue working in the profession she has held for years, as broader delays continue to affect thousands of DACA recipients across the region.
Carecen's executive director is encouraging DACA recipients to plan ahead, "to make sure that they're applying for renewal six months in advance, given the lags," said Dugan-Cuadra.
We reached out to Kaiser for comment and did not receive a response at the time of this report.