Andrew Kerley, Executive editor
A VCU Health employee was let go from her job on Tuesday after videos in which she described ways to deliberately harm Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents went viral off of reposts from right-wing influencers and state lawmakers.
“For today’s resistance tip, I vote, anybody got any poison ivy, poison oak in their yard? Get some of that up, with gloves, obviously. Get it in some water, like a gallon of water. Get the poison ivy, oak water, and I’m gonna put it into a water gun. Aim for faces, hands,” the employee said in one of the videos.
The employee implied a number of “sabotage tactics” to harm agents, including spraying them with poisonous chemicals in syringes, dating them and putting Ex-Lax in their drinks and leaving dead fish in the room with them.
“Let’s make their lives f****** miserable,” the employee said.
The videos made waves after being reposted by right-wing account Libs of Tiktok — which became famous around 2022 for posting conspiracy theories and content demonizing LGBTQ+ people and other minority groups.
“How can you have such a vile person working with patients? How can anyone feel safe at your facilities if you employ such people?” the post read.
Multiple Republican elected officials in Virginia added on — including Chesterfield Sen. Glen Sturtevant, who questioned how the hiring practices and oversight by a state-funded hospital allowed the individual to be hired.
In a statement provided to The CT, the health system said the individual had been placed on administrative leave, that they would not be in facilities or interact with patients and that VCU Police were assisting with an investigation into the matter.
VCU later provided an update, stating the individual involved was no longer employed by VCU Health following the investigation, and that VCU Health fulfilled its reporting requirements under state law.
“We prioritize the health and safety of anyone who comes to us for care,” the initial statement read. “We are aware of a series of videos that appear to have been posted by an individual confirmed to be an employee of our health system. The content of the videos is highly inappropriate and does not reflect the integrity or values of our health system.”
The office of Gov. Abigail Spanberger and Democratic leaders in the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate did not respond to requests for comment by The CT.