It shouldn’t come as a surprise that NBC’s new drama New Amsterdam is full of liberal propaganda. Just a couple weeks ago we saw the overplayed gun control card. Tonight was no different, the writers brought out an oversold gimmick about ICE and in a plot that was all too familiar to something we saw recently on another NBC medical drama, Chicago Med.
In Tuesday night’s episode, a father, Diego, brings his young daughter, Gianna, to the hospital with breathing problems. He is concerned, however, about the type of care they could receive since they are "undocumented." Not to worry though, the altruistic Dr. Bloom (Janet Montgomery) assures them they're safe and ICE won't even know they're there.
Diego: Diego. My daughter, Gianna.
Dr. Bloom: Hi, Gianna. So you're having some trouble breathing?
Diego: It's getting worse. I waited too long. We can't-- -
Gianna: Papa is... worried... you can't help us.
Dr. Bloom: You don't have insurance?
Diego: Undocumented.
Dr. Bloom: Well, we treat everyone here. You're safe from ICE. If that's what you're worried about. They won't even know you were here. Come on. Pop up Gianna. Let's have a listen.
Later in the episode, Dr. Reynolds (Jocko Sims) informs Diego that Gianna will need a lung transplant; however, this won’t be an easy bid due to their illegal status. Reynolds explains that the donation would have to be direct, which is the same issue that came up on Chicago Med.
Dr. Reynolds: So your daughter has a condition called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and we couldn't tell how advanced it was in the x-ray... But she's going to need a new lung.
Diego: You can do that? You can give her a new lung?
Dr. Reynolds: Normally, yes. But because you're undocumented--
Diego: Dr. Bloom says you treat everyone here.
Dr. Reynolds: We do. We do. But the Organ Transplant Foundation, they won't put an undocumented person on their recipient list, because post-operative care requires.... Well, stability.
Diego: And they don't think we have that.
Dr. Reynolds: No.
Diego: What about me? Give her my lung.
Her father isn't a match but fortunately for Gianna, there are several people willing to donate part of their lung if her father joins a transplant chain. Of course, Dr. Frome (Tyler Labine) has to make sure Diego understands all of the risks. During his psych evaluation, Diego opens up about why they came to America illegally in the first place.
Diego: Dr. Frome, Gianna and I came here from Guatemala. I was police there. The gangs, they don't like it if they cannot corrupt you. They threatened our lives.
Dr. Frome: That's why you left? You fled.
Diego: When Gianna could not walk and breathe at the same time, I carried her. And when we finally go to New York... I made sure we were hidden, so they could not send us back. And she got worse. This is my fault. And I'm going to fix it. It doesn't matter what happens to me.
This scene, of course, is meant to tug on our heartstrings and make us think that ICE and government officials wanting border security are somehow awful for wanting to enforce the law. The problem is, the issue is way more complex than that. There are security issues with just letting people seek asylum here without going through the proper process. NBC doesn’t want us to think about that, though.
