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Two Virginia legislators are calling for legal action against a former nurse from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Health who was terminated for allegedly inciting others to harm ICE agents. The lawmakers believe that the situation demands more than just job termination; they argue that the law should take its course.
State Senator Glen Sturtevant, a Republican from Chesterfield, expressed his views to Fox News Digital, emphasizing the severity of the nurse’s actions. “While VCU acted promptly and rightly by firing her for what amounts to advocating healthcare terrorism, this is only the first step,” Sturtevant stated. He emphasized the necessity for law enforcement to thoroughly investigate and determine appropriate legal charges, questioning how the nurse could avoid facing consequences, whether under state law or federal involvement.
Sturtevant expressed outrage over the nurse’s actions, which he interpreted as advocating for the poisoning of federal law enforcement officers for political motives. “This is something we simply cannot tolerate,” he said, adding that Malinda Cook, the nurse in question, should have her nursing license revoked as well.
The controversy is underscored by a comparison of a recent event where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were seen questioning an individual in Minnesota, juxtaposed with a screenshot from Cook’s TikTok page. These images, captured from December 2025 and January 2026 respectively, highlight the tension surrounding the issue.
Left: Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers question a man about his status on Lake Street near Karmel Mall in Minnesota on Dec. 10, 2025. Right: A screenshot from a Virginia Commonwealth University nurse’s TikTok page taken on Jan. 27, 2026. (Christopher Juhn/Anadolu via Getty Images; mindarose8/TikTok)
VCU Health announced Tuesday evening that it had fired Cook after a series of her TikTok videos went viral.
In one video, simply captioned with “#ice #resistance #sabotage,” the nurse instructed others to use a “sabotage tactic” against opponents.
“I thought of something good,” she said.
“Sabotage tactic, or at least scare tactic. All the medical providers, grab some syringes with needles on the end,” she said. “Have them full of saline or succinylcholine, you know, whatever. Whatever. That will probably be a deterrent. Be safe.”
Succinylcholine is an anesthetic that causes rapid, short-acting muscle paralysis. The paralytic effect typically lasts for four to six minutes.
After the posts sparked fury online, VCU completed a swift investigation before parting ways with Cook.
“Following an investigation, the individual involved in the social media videos is no longer employed by VCU Health,” the hospital told Fox News Digital in a Tuesday night statement. “In addition, VCU Health has fulfilled its reporting requirements under Virginia state law.”
A Virginia Commonwealth University nurse’s TikTok video from Jan. 14, 2026, has gone viral after it was posted by LibsOfTikTok on X. (Credit: @mindarosa8/TikTok)
Thursday, VCU police confirmed they were investigating the posts.
“It is advocating for left-wing political terrorism is, I think, is what it comes down to at the end of the day, and it wasn’t even really just advocating for it,” Sturtevant said. “It was also explaining to people how to engage in it, and promoting it and giving details and, showing how people can break the law, to poison and hurt federal law enforcement in the engagement of their duties enforcing the law.”
Sturtevant is hopeful that if state law enforcement doesn’t step in, the Department of Justice will. He also demanded that VCU explain how Cook came to be employed and remained employed, later noting that it appeared that at least some of Cook’s posts were made on hospital grounds.
ICE agents stand at the scene where a woman was fatally shot earlier in the day during an enforcement operation on Jan. 7, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Christopher Juhn/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Wren Williams is a Republican member of the Virginia House of Delegates, representing the 47th District.
“I think she needs to be prosecuted,” Williams said. “This person needs to be made an example. She is advocating for the harm of others. I think she needs to lose her medical license. Who can trust this woman to do right and offer care?”
Speaking on violent rhetoric coming from the political left, Williams said Democrats have been encouraging the practice for some time.
“And then they justify, and they say that is the type of action that’s needed to make change,” he said.
“You know who said that? Jay Jones, in his text messages when he said [former House of Delegates Speaker] Todd Gilbert needs to lose his children to gun violence in order for him to change his stance on firearm policy. That’s what he said, and he is the sitting attorney general of Virginia.”
Neither VCU Health nor Cook returned requests for comment.