New York City detectives say they were treated rudely and disrespectfully last week after they were mistaken for federal immigration agents while seeking treatment at a hospital after an arrest.
The officers went to NYU Langone/Cobble Hill Hospital in Brooklyn after a fight with a drug suspect, the New York Post reported.
“[Hospital staff] were nasty to the officers in the waiting room, accused them of being ICE and suggested they go elsewhere,” one source familiar with the incident told the newspaper.
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“They properly identified themselves,” another source added. “It’s despicable to attempt to deny care or suggest they go elsewhere.”
An NYPD spokesperson told Fox News Digital the hospital apologized to Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch over the incident.
“Representatives from the hospital apologized to Commissioner Tisch and the NYPD and said hospital staff had a misunderstanding of their policy,” the spokesperson said. “Commissioner Tisch asked that all hospital staff be retrained to ensure that this type of incident never happens again.”
The hospital told Fox News Digital it expressed, in a discussion with Tisch, “our regret for how the situation was handled and reaffirmed our commitment to continue providing the highest quality care to the New York Police Department and all law enforcement agencies.”
It noted that, in 2025, NYU Langone provided care to nearly 1,000 NYPD officers.
“We provided care to the injured officer who was asked to temporarily secure his weapon, as per our policy,” a hospital representative said. “The other two officers were allowed to keep their weapons. NYU Langone always values the opportunity to provide care to members of law enforcement.”
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The hospital did not comment on the alleged references to ICE. The incident occurred as thousands of nurses across the city were on strike.
In a statement, the NYPD Detectives’ Endowment Association denounced the treatment of the officers.
“It is an outrage that any NYPD detective injured in the line of duty should have to worry about being treated at any hospital in the city they protect,” the group said. “As nurses across the city strike over issues like workplace safety, treating detectives poorly is not how to make hospitals safer.
“No one — especially detectives injured in the line of duty — should face such treatment.”
Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former NYPD officer, also criticized the hospital and called on New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to hold it accountable.
“A hospital that politicizes emergency care is no longer a hospital. It’s an activist institution pretending to practice medicine,” Adams wrote on X. “These NYPD officers put their lives on the line. Medical staff are sworn to treat the injured, not pass political judgment. We send them into danger and then leave them bleeding when it’s inconvenient.”
