They came. They saw. They arrested. They repeated.
ICE agents were back in immigration court in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday, apprehending stunned people there for procedural hearings and rushing them away into elevators to parts unknown in a matter of seconds.
Dozens of ICE agents could be seen on multiple floors and spent the day arresting immigrants as they left their court appearances. Looking ready for combat while donning bulletproof vests and armed with handguns at a facility where every entrant must go through a metal detector, the agents — part of several different federal agencies, including Border Patrol — split up and staked out several courtrooms looking for people marked for apprehension.
While some agents have been seen concealing their faces over the past week, many remained unmasked on Tuesday. Several ICE agents spoke to amNewYork without giving their names, stating that they wear the face coverings out of fear of being doxxed. Yet those working inside the building say the masked agents are only adding to the tension and fear.
ICE agents lie in wait
Some agents remained in plainclothes and sat and listened to court proceedings before texting the status of court appearances. Authorities lay in wait for those whose cases have been dismissed.
The agents pounced on their targets as soon as they left a courtroom. On numerous occasions, they ran up to several individuals, grabbed them by the arms and whisked them into elevators before they could even comprehend what was taking place — the doors closing on their stunned faces.
On multiple occasions, the process — which critics have compared to kidnapping — took place in about 30 seconds. The terror family members of the apprehended experienced, however, lasted much longer.
Lawyers witnessing the cold and calculated execution thanked members of the press for capturing and reporting on the detainments.
“We need that evidence,” one lawyer said as a man was bundled into an elevator by an army of agents. “Keep documenting.”
In a shocking incident, one man left a courtroom and was making his way to the bathroom when he was snatched by several agents. He attempted to flee back in to court but was dragged kicking and yelling from what he believed to be a safe space.
Struggling to communicate, he attempted to pull away only to be wrestled into an elevator. About 10 minutes later, he appeared back from one of the elevators, released after authorities realized that he had yet to see a judge.
“He hasn’t seen a judge yet,” one of the officers said.
He was ultimately permitted to leave without being detained.
Later, a man and his wife found themselves surrounded by a group of federal agents. Agents pressed the man with questions, but he either refused to answer or did not understand the questions. Both were then rushed into an elevator.
ICE also repeatedly questions individuals on their immigration status and even rifles through their paperwork to ensure they have a return court date. Several arrests were also reported at 290 Broadway, leaving the wife of one detainee distraught and weeping.
