The city's public hospital system warned staff not to avoid immigration and custom enforcement agents. It sparked Democratic politicians who wanted to reverse the order.
NYC Health + Hospitals in a memo on January 16, days before President Donald Trump issued a federal order to open “sensitive places” to attacks by federal immigration authorities, including schools, churches, hospitals and shelters. Is issued.
“What we've seen from this administration over the past two weeks is not in favour of our laws. It's about fear and confusion,” Sen. Zellner Miley, a reporter outside Kings Hospital on Thursday. He said at the press conference.
“We know people are afraid and they are not appearing. [to hospitals]. ”
Miley called on Mayor Eric Adams to withdraw the “inflammatory and redundant” hospital policy as he and other Democrats fight to maintain sanctuary from the federal government.
According to a city hall source, the memo told hospital workers “it's illegal to intentionally protect people in the United States from detention,” and “it's proactive in avoiding people being discovered.” Don't try to help. Ice.
The memo appears to follow the January 13th guidance memo sent by City Hall to all city agencies.
“It is important to understand that people who are not in the US will take action aimed at hiding, porting, or protecting that it is a federal crime,” said the city hall legal memo obtained by the Post. states. “We cannot take positive steps aimed at helping people avoid being spotted on ice.”
City Hall spokesman Kayla Mamelak down the concerns of lawmakers, saying the mayor “will be able to send their children to school, seek medical care, or report crime, regardless of immigration status. You should feel comfortable.”
“The allegations that New York City is directing city employees to work with ICE for civil enforcement spread misinformation that only promotes anxiety within the immigrant community,” Mamerak said. I did.
“We are responsible for protecting the well-being of our city staff, which is why we have directed that city employees not to do any harm during the federal immigration enforcement interaction.”
Employees were instructed to contact an attorney in such circumstances and to avoid verbal or physical arguments.
Miley, who also runs for mayor of New York City, argued that the memo is another ploy to curry favor with the Trump administration to get a presidential pardon on corruption charges.
The suffering mayor hastily rushed to DC to attend Trump's inauguration in the middle of the night, then again at the Capitol on Thursday to attend a prayer breakfast the president spoke before raising an eyebrow among fellow DEMs. Ta.
Adams also told the president about potential tariffs in Mexico and Canada a few days after his lawyer met with US Department of Justice officials as prosecutors attempted to get him to drop a federal corruption charge. I refused to speak.
“Instead of having a mayor willing to stand up to this president and protect vulnerable New Yorkers, we have issued guidance that says you will do whatever President Trump wants. There's a mayor who's there,” Miley said.
“We are calling on vulnerable New Yorkers to retract the guidance he issued to Health+ Hospitals today.”
NYC Health + Hospitals told the Post that its focus is patient and employee safety.
“The policies we sent to all staff have taken clear and understandable measures when enforcement agents enter the facility, and by ensuring that they understand the law, we are able to ensure safety for staff on the frontline every day. “We guarantee that,” spokesman Christopher Miller said.
NYC Health + Hospitals does not require patients to share information about the immigration situation and to provide patient information to others without being specifically permitted by law. Can't do it, the spokesman said.
City councillors and chair of the Council's Board of Education, Rita Joseph (D-Brooklyn), said the guidance would have a devastating impact on previously safe schools.
“We have to reassure you about that [ICE] Come to school, nothing will happen to them, [but] That security was taken away by the Trump administration by robbing sensitive areas,” she told the Post.
“Why are we in the hospital? The church was a safe haven and the school was a safe haven. These safety nets were taken away. So I'm not documented. If so, I don't walk to school. I don't know where the ice is around it.”
It was unclear whether the Department of Education issued similar guidance to employees, but the spokesman said the only guidance distributed from the city's school system is available. Website.
