Video reveals conditions within ICE processing center in NYC at 26 Federal Plaza
New video footage reveals the challenging conditions inside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing center at 26 Federal Plaza in New York City. Lawmakers have been endeavoring for weeks to gain access to this facility after receiving reports of immigrants being held there under unfavorable circumstances for extended periods. The detainees have shared troubling accounts of their experiences, with one individual remarking, “Look how they have us here like dogs.”
The recently released video, authenticated by CBS News New York and provided by the New York Immigration Coalition, shows a room on the 10th floor of the building where numerous men are situated. The room lacks furniture, and many individuals are seen lying or sitting on the floor on towels or foil blankets. There are two toilets positioned behind half walls in the room, of which one seems to be covered with a foil blanket. According to Murad Awawdeh, the President and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, the footage exhibits over two dozen men, some sleeping on the floor, all having to share a single bathroom.
Benjamin Remy, a senior staff attorney at the New York Legal Assistance Group, admitted that the video presented the first visual portrayal he had seen of the conditions on the 10th floor of 26 Federal Plaza. When questioned about his initial reaction, Remy responded that, “What was your initial reaction when you saw that?” was more of affirmation than astonishment. Immigration advocates, such as Ravi Ragbir from New Sanctuary Coalition, are not surprised by the distressing accounts and living conditions depicted in the video. Ragbir remarked that these challenging conditions are deliberately engineered to make people surrender their pursuit of legal pathways into the country.
An account shared by a woman with CBS News revealed the severe conditions her husband endured during his time on the 10th floor before being relocated. According to her, the detainees were treated like animals and often were deprived of proper sustenance and medical attention. Reports of insufficient and substandard food quality, as well as the denial of medical care, have been circulating for over a month, as explained by Benjamin Remy. Congressman Dan Goldman from New York, who was among several representatives denied access to the site by ICE, expressed disappointment but not surprise at the conditions observed in the video. He criticized the treatment of nonviolent immigrant detainees pursuing legal avenues to enter the country, emphasizing the responsibility to provide humane conditions.
Attorneys and advocates emphasize that individuals attending routine immigration hearings are also facing detention in these inadequate conditions. Despite these challenges, efforts continue to shed light on the troubling circumstances within the ICE processing center at 26 Federal Plaza in New York City.