In a memo to employees about what to do when Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrives, the health system told staff, “you should not try to actively help a person avoid being found by ICE.”

The language in the guidance, which was obtained by Crain’s, emphasizes compliance with authorities beyond what other health systems and trade groups have issued in memos to staff, which have tended to focus more on hospitals’ rights to deny ICE access and set up protocols to gatekeep facilities.

The notice has unsettled some staff, who see patient care as their primary mission.

“I feel like it’s part of our job to treat people from other countries compassionately, whether or not they are here legally,” said one NYU Langone nurse who was not cleared to speak with press. “Most people I know feel the same way. Like, obviously if ICE was there we would try to protect our patients from them.”

NYU Langone declined to comment.

Hospitals began issuing guidance to staff after President Donald Trump repealed an Obama-era limit on immigration enforcement in so-called “sensitive locations,” like hospitals, schools and houses of worship. The move corresponded with a number of high-profile immigration raids in the city and around the country as the administration moved to implement Trump’s mass-deportation agenda.

In January, Greater New York Hospital Association, the largest trade association of hospitals and health systems in the northeast, issued a memo to its members with suggested procedures for handling ICE agents. The memo outlines the scenarios in which employees may block an ICE inquiry from moving forward and cautions members that officials may use “persuasion and even intimidation” in attempting to circumvent protocols.

The trade group’s guidance makes no mention that staff should be warned to avoid aiding undocumented patients from capture. In it, GNYHA suggests hospitals reiterate a commitment to patient privacy, “regardless of their immigration status or that of their family members. Every action that we take, or decline to take, in response to law enforcement activity will be informed by that principle,” it states.

By contrast, the guidance from NYU Langone, which is named after Home Depot billionaire and GOP-megadonor Kenneth Langone, focuses on “our obligation to comply with applicable laws and regulations.” It instructs staff to notify the security department when a government agent requests information about a patient or access to non-public areas.

“Please note, it is illegal to intentionally protect a person who is in the United States unlawfully from detention,” it states.

"Definitely didn't sit well with me," the nurse said.