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In a disturbing violation of medical ethics, staff at NYU Langone Health denied emergency treatment to injured NYPD detectives, mistakenly believing they were ICE agents.
Late Saturday night into early Sunday morning, two detectives from the New York City Police Department were refused care at the Cobble Hill emergency room after staff misidentified them as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
The situation escalated as nurses and doctors refused to provide treatment, accusing the detectives of being affiliated with ICE. Care was only given after the plainclothes officers were disarmed, despite the fact that they had sustained injuries while apprehending a suspect.
This incident was not merely a misunderstanding; it constituted a criminal act.
Every medical professional involved breached the Hippocratic Oath and the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), which requires emergency evaluation and stabilization without regard to a person’s identity or political beliefs. Denying care for ideological reasons is not only unlawful but also perilous.
ICE WATCH: NYU Langone’s Cobble Hill ER declined to treat three NYPD detectives after they were attacked by a suspect, mistakenly accusing them of being ICE agents. Treatment was eventually administered after disarming the plainclothes officers, violating their oath as medical professionals. (source)
As a medical professional myself, I find it appalling that such actions were taken. There must be accountability for those involved, as they have failed to uphold their oath.
