According to a memorandum obtained from the New York City government by Crain’s NY Business, NYC Health + Hospitals recently issued an internal memo to employees, instructing healthcare workers not to help undocumented immigrant patients evade checks by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The memorandum was discreetly circulated among NYC Health + Hospitals employees, explicitly warning them against aiding undocumented immigrants in hiding to avoid being arrested by ICE.
Released four days before President Trump’s inauguration on January 20th, the memo clearly stated, “Please note that intentionally shielding an individual illegally residing in the United States from detention is illegal,” and cautioned hospital staff not to proactively assist patients in evading ICE inspections.
Meanwhile, NYU Langone Health System also issued similar guidance, emphasizing that employees must comply with government enforcement requests. In a memo instructing staff on how to handle ICE interactions, the hospital system informed employees, “You should not actively help someone evade ICE searches.”
The wording in the guidance document obtained by Crain’s Business Week, as compared to memoranda issued by other healthcare systems and industry groups to their employees, places a stronger emphasis on complying with ICE, while memos from other institutions tend to lean towards refusing to cooperate with ICE.
This move has sparked discontent among some healthcare workers and immigrant rights advocacy organizations. The New York Doctors Coalition stated that such policies could deter undocumented immigrants from seeking necessary medical services out of fear of being arrested. ◇