Video Captures Overcrowded ICE Holding Facility In Lower Manhattan

NEW YORK CITY — Videos sent to a New York assemblywoman and an immigration advocate group shows an alleged ICE detention facility on the 10th floor of a federal immigration court in Lower Manhattan.

According to the New York Immigration Coalition, individuals detained at the facility have been there for days and weeks at a time without showers, medication or a change of clothes, sleeping on the floor, and with minimal food and outside contact.

In one video, it shows two toilets in the same room, separated by a makeshift wall, with individuals sleeping and sitting at the end of the room.

“Look how they have us,” the person filming says in Spanish, “like dogs in here.”

The video footage was first sent to Assemblymember Catalina Cruz’ office by a constituent who was detained at an immigration court appearance last week and had snuck a phone inside, according to THE CITY.

Despite accounts from detained immigrants, their families and attorneys about the existence of the facility, the Department of Homeland Security has refuted those claims.

“26 Federal Plaza is not a detention center. It is a Federal building with an ICE law enforcement office inside of it,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin previously told Gothamist in a statement.

Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, said instead of sharing the truth with the public, "ICE has skirted accountability by consistently lying about what’s happening on the 10th floor, and breaking the law by not allowing Congress members to view the conditions."

"New Yorkers deserve accountability and justice at 26 Federal Plaza and must be able to safely attend their court proceedings without fear of being detained and disappeared. The 10th Floor detention facility must be shut down immediately," he added.

ICE has barred elected officials, including Reps. Nydia Velazaquez, Adriano Espaillat, Dan Goldman and Jerry Nadler, among others, from observing conditions at detention centers.

A source told The CITY that as many as 80 people have been held in a single room at the facility with individuals only having one meal a day.

"It is outrageous that 26 Federal Plaza—a building that was once seen as a key step towards the so-called American dream, is now being weaponized to impose a living nightmare on our immigrant neighbors,” NYS Assembly Member Catalina Cruz said. “This building is now being used to detain immigrants in cruel and oppressive conditions. Our courts are not supposed to be tools of surveillance or entrapment. When someone walks into a courtroom to fight for their rights, they should not be met with the threat of being snatched by ICE and thrown into a holding cell with no access to basic dignity. This is a calculated attack on immigrant communities, and it undermines the very foundation of our legal system."