A U.S. District Court ordered last Wednesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to improve conditions for people who are being detained at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan.
The Order is due after a judge issued a temporary restraining order calling for better conditions in August. This order specifically bans ICE from holding people in spaces with fewer than 50 square feet per person.
“Whatever the merits of the Administration’s determination to deport illegal aliens –and the Court expresses no view of that issue, which is beyond the scope of this case — we must remember that this is the United States of America,” Judge Kaplan wrote in his order. “We aspire to treat all Americans — and those among us — with humanity.”
The court’s order also requires ICE to improve access to hygiene products, provide sleeping mats and ensure those who are detained can call their lawyers within 24 hours of entering the facility.
A spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams’ office said in a statement, in part, “We are glad to hear that a federal judge has ordered conditions at 26 Federal Plaza to improve, and we reiterate that this entire city is less safe when immigrants are afraid to use basic services and attend court hearings.”
The holding facility came under fire earlier this summer over accusations that people were being held there in unsanitary conditions. Immigration advocates said they heard from detainees who spent up to 20 days there and described poor conditions.
A video in July showed over a dozen people inside a room in the holding facility, with several lying on the floor on thermal blankets or sitting on benches. The person who filmed the video also showed two toilets separated from the rest of the room by only a waist high wall.
