Audit: ICE Entered NYC Hospitals, Buildings

Mayor Zohran Mamdani released a city audit on May 22 that found federal immigration agents had entered New York City hospitals, shelters and other facilities without proper authorization. The report said city agencies had largely followed sanctuary laws, but it also documented gaps in access controls, reporting and staff training as Immigration and Customs Enforcement stepped up arrests in the city. The audit covered the Administration for Children’s Services, the Department of Correction, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Department of Probation, the Department of Social Services, the New York Police Department and NYC Health + Hospitals. In February, Mamdani had ordered the review through Executive Order 13 after pledging to tighten the city’s sanctuary protections. ### How much did immigration enforcement increase in New York? The audit said ICE arrested 5,567 people in the New York City area between January 20, 2025, and March 10, 2026. That was a 71% increase from the same number of days at the end of the previous administration, according to the report. More than half of those arrests took place at immigration courts at 26 Federal Plaza, 290 Broadway and 201 Varick Street, the New York Immigration Coalition said, citing the city audit. (nyc.gov) The Department of Correction saw detainer requests rise 120% in 2025 from 2024, according to the coalition’s summary of the report. ICE requests to the NYPD rose from 99 in fiscal 2024 to 3,627 in fiscal 2025, the coalition said. Those figures were part of the city’s account of what it called intensified federal enforcement and more aggressive tactics. (nyc.gov) ### Which city agencies were examined, and what did the review say? The Mayor’s Office said the audit compiled findings and recommendations submitted by seven agencies and noted that New York City Public Schools conducted a separate internal review outside the formal audit process. The administration said the multiagency review found that federal immigration authorities had increasingly targeted city shelters, sharply increased detainer requests to correction officials and the police, and used misleading tactics. (nyic.org) The report also said local laws and agency protocols had “largely worked as intended” to protect immigrants’ rights. But the administration said the findings still required agencies to strengthen protocols governing interactions with federal immigration authorities and to update procedures in the coming months. (nyc.gov) ### Why do hospitals and shelters matter under city law? Executive Order 13, signed on February 6, said New York City Administrative Code section 4-210 bars non-local law enforcement from entering non-public areas of city property, including shelters and schools, without a judicial warrant, unless city personnel authorize access or there is an emergency. The order also said public safety depends on residents trusting city institutions enough to seek services and report crimes. (nyc.gov) The audit framed hospitals and other service sites in similar terms. It said sanctuary policies are meant to ensure residents can seek medical care, use city services and interact with local agencies without fear that their information will be turned over for civil immigration enforcement. (nyc.gov) ### What had earlier investigations already found about compliance? The Department of Investigation said in a December 3, 2025 report that it examined five NYPD-related incidents and found one in which an officer violated local law by assisting federal authorities in civil immigration enforcement. DOI said the NYPD’s policies complied with city law overall, but it issued seven recommendations on documentation, reporting, clarity and training, all of which the department accepted. (nyc.gov) Christopher Ryan, DOI’s acting commissioner, told the City Council on March 5 that sanctuary laws had already been updated through Local Law 63 and Executive Order 13. He said those changes broadened key definitions and barred federal immigration authorities from maintaining offices on Rikers Island for any purpose. ### What changes come next? (nyc.gov) May 22 guidance from the Mayor’s Office said agencies will implement the audit’s recommendations in the coming months. Faiza N. Ali, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, said the findings would strengthen agency protocols and help ensure that New Yorkers can safely access city services regardless of immigration status. (nyc.gov) Murad Awawdeh, president and chief executive of the New York Immigration Coalition, said the City Council should pass legislation to tighten sanctuary protections and create stronger accountability when violations occur. For now, the administration has said the next step is agency-level protocol changes under Executive Order 13, and the report is available through the Mayor’s Office release published May 22. (nyic.org) (nyc.gov)