The New York City public hospital system has triggered Democrat lawmakers with its guidance to staff members that directs them not to help patients who are in the country illegally avoid Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, the New York Post reported.
In a memo on Jan. 16, NYC Health + Hospitals told employees it is "illegal to intentionally protect a person who is in the United States unlawfully from detention" and warned "you should not try to actively help a person avoid being found by ICE."
The hospital memo was issued days before President Donald Trump rescinded President Joe Biden-era guidance that protected migrants from immigration raids in "sensitive locations," such as schools, churches, and hospitals.
It appears to follow a memo that Mayor Eric Adams' administration sent to all city agencies on Jan. 13.
"It is important to understand that taking actions that are intended to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection a person who is in the United States unlawfully is a federal crime," read the City Hall legal memo, obtained by the New York Post. "You cannot take affirmative steps that are intended to help a person avoid being found by ICE."
At a news conference outside Kings Hospital on Thursday, state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, D-Brooklyn, said the new Trump administration has created a sense of "fear and chaos" and called on Adams to withdraw the "inflammatory and redundant" hospital guidance.
"What we have seen out of this administration for the past two weeks is not about upholding our laws. This is about fear and chaos," Myrie said. "We know that people are afraid and that they're not showing up [to hospitals]."
City Hall spokesperson Kayla Mamelak Altus told the Post that Adams believes "everyone should feel comfortable sending their children to school, seeking medical care, or reporting crimes, regardless of their immigration status."
"The claim that New York City is instructing city employees to cooperate with ICE for civil enforcement spreads misinformation that only fuels anxiety within immigrant communities," Mamelak said. "We are responsible for safeguarding the well-being of our city staff, which is why we have directed city employees not to put themselves in harm's way during federal immigration enforcement interactions."
Myrie, who is challenging Adams for the city's top job, claimed the memo is an attempt by the mayor to get into the Trump administration's good graces in an effort to secure a presidential pardon. Adams changed his schedule at the last minute to attend Trump's inauguration and attended a Thursday prayer breakfast at the Capitol where the president delivered remarks.
The mayor also declined to criticize Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports days after his lawyers met with Justice Department officials in a bid to get federal corruption charges against him dropped.
Adams pleaded not guilty in September to federal bribery charges.
His appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker came a day after prosecutors unsealed an indictment accusing him of taking $100,000 in flights and stays in opulent hotel suites from people tied to Turkey and fueling his run for mayor with illegal donations that helped him qualify for more than $10 million in public campaign funds.
"Instead of having a mayor willing to stand up to this president and protect vulnerable New Yorkers, we have a mayor that's issuing guidance saying we will do whatever you want President Trump no matter what the implication," Myrie said.
NYC Health + Hospitals, which does not require patients to share their immigration status to receive care, cannot disclose patient information to anyone without being compelled to do so by law, according to department spokesperson Christopher Miller.
"The policy we sent to all staff sets forth clear and understandable steps to take if an enforcement agent enters the facility, and it ensures the safety of our staff — who are on the frontlines everyday— by making sure they understand the law," Miller told the Post.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.