The Kaiser surgical nurse and DACA recipient who Mission Local reported was at risk of losing her job because of a delayed immigration renewal application will now be able to keep her job.
Kaiser extended her employment leave on Wednesday, and her DACA renewal was approved by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services the same day, following public pressure on a local and national level.
The sudden approval of her DACA status comes after the California Nurses Association met with members of Congress and urged them to contact U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services about her delayed application. Representatives Nancy Pelosi and Jamie Raskin and Sen. Alex Padilla all agreed to do so.
The union also held a rally Monday urging Kaiser to extend her leave.
Previously, Kaiser had given her 30 days of unpaid leave while she waited for her DACA renewal to be approved and she was set to be terminated May 15 for failing to “keep [her] work authorization current.” Her deadline from Kaiser for having her work permit from her DACA is now June 15, according to Ariel. She is now just waiting for the official card to come in the mail.
“I was able to relax and read a book this morning for the first time in a long time,” said Ariel — the pseudonym Mission Local gave to the nurse to protect her anonymity.
“I am overwhelmed with joy, excited and happy that they were able to extend me.”
Speaking in Washington, D.C., at a press conference this week, Sen. Alex Padilla referenced “Ariel” in a speech urging congress to pass a legislative fix for Dreamers, a term used to describe recipients of DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which provides temporary legal status to children who arrived in the United States at a young age. There have been failed attempts to reform the law spanning more than 10 years.
DACA, which does not provide a path to citizenship, was intended to offer refuge and safety, but as Padilla said in Washington, D.C., “we’ve seen, in recent months, this administration doing everything they can to break that promise.”
In 2025, 261 DACA recipients were detained and at least 86 deported, despite having active DACA protections, according to Padilla.
Padilla said there needs to be a permanent legislative fix to create a pathway for DACA recipients to become citizens.
On a smaller scale, the nurses union is also looking for policy reform.
Angela Karanja-Schmid, a critical care nurse and colleague of Ariel, said Kaiser’s policy, which threatened to terminate her position, “was really unfair and unconscionable.”
Karanja-Schmid hopes that the public attention will push Kaiser to not only extend Ariel’s leave but to change its policy for other DACA recipients so they have time to ensure their status is up to date amid delays from federal immigration agencies.
“Ultimately it comes down to care and patient safety. We are prepared to pressure Kaiser to do the right thing.”
This is great news. I’m a longtime Kaiser member and I’ve been watching this closely. A bit of sunshine in the midst of difficult times.