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NYC Health and Hospitals, taking on false social posts, says it won't report undocumented patients
By
Arun Venugopal
Published Jan 30, 2025
Modified Jan 30, 2025
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ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images
By
Arun Venugopal
Published Jan 30, 2025
Modified Jan 30, 2025
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New York City’s sprawling hospital system is debunking misinformation spreading via social media and reassuring the public it won’t report any undocumented “person or patients” to immigration enforcement agents.
“We care about your health, not your immigration status,” reads a Facebook post by NYC Health and Hospitals. “Despite misinformation on Instagram, NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst is NOT reporting any person or patient seeking care to the police. All New Yorkers should seek care without fear.”
The statement comes amid rumors and false alarms regarding immigration enforcement across the five boroughs, many related to schools, houses of worship and other “sensitive locations,” which until last week were off-limits to federal immigration officers.
President Donald Trump's administration on Jan. 21 issued a directive stating that such prohibitions were no longer in force.
The hospital system's statement was also shared on the Facebook account of Elmhurst Hospital, a 545-bed facility surrounded by immigrant communities that has also been the subject of online misinformation.
One false Instagram post showed a picture of the hospital and stated the facility was “reporting anyone who doesn’t have an ID and proof of citizenship to the police.”
“They have told their employees to report anyone who comes in without a valid ID,” it continued. “Be warned and share with the community.”
According to an NYC Health and Hospitals fact sheet, Elmhurst Hospital serves “an area of approximately 1 million people.”
“Elmhurst, Queens is, perhaps, the most ethnically diverse community in the world, with 20,000 recent immigrants from 112 different countries,” the fact sheet states. “Our patient population is primarily from South and Central America, Asia, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe.”
Councilmember Shekar Krishnan, whose district includes Elmhurst Hospital, called the rumors “extremely unfortunate,” and said in a statement that the misinformation resulted from “the fear that is being incited within our community through the Trump administration's threats to sensitive locations.”
“Our community will get hurt if they don't feel safe enough to seek health care, especially at our public hospitals,” Krishnan said.
An aide to Krishnan said the rumor was brought to his office’s attention by a concerned constituent, and that the councilmember confirmed it was false after contacting Elmhurst Hospital. NYC Health + Hospitals declined further comment.
Becca Telzak, a deputy director at the immigration rights group Make the Road New York, said her organization had encountered numerous rumors related to immigration enforcement raids, but this was the first such rumor related to health care.
“There’s just a lot of confusion, so I can imagine it continuing,” Telzak said.
Under Trump, federal immigration officers have been given more leeway to conduct enforcement. In a Jan. 21 directive, then-acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman announced the end of a Biden-era policy rendering "sensitive places" like schools and houses of worship off-limits to enforcement agents.
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” Huffman said in the statement.
The policy under Biden stated that “enforcement actions should not be taken in or near a location that would restrain people’s access to essential services or engagement in essential activities.”
Amid mounting fears of mass deportations, Mayor Eric Adams urged attendees at a town hall meeting in Corona, Queens, last week to continue with their daily activities.
"Children should go to school, those who need health care should go to hospitals, those who are involved in any type of interaction where they're victims of a crime, they should speak to the law enforcement agencies,” Adams said.
Tagged
queens
Race And Justice Unit
Health and Science
Arun Venugopal
Arun Venugopal is a senior reporter for the WNYC and Gothamist Race & Justice Unit who focuses on issues of race and bias in our region. His reporting also tackles the topics of immigration, faith, and inequality. Arun serves as the regular fill-in host of the station's "U.S. of Anxiety" program. Arun was the creator and host of Micropolis, a series about race and identity. He is a contributor to NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered. He has appeared on PBS Newshour, On the Media and Studio 360, and has been published in The Guardian, The Wall Street Journal and Salon. He also frequently serves as an emcee and moderator of panel discussions on race, religion, and identity issues and has been a guest host of NPR's "Fresh Air." He lives with his family in Queens.
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