ICE agents dressed in plain clothes on Wednesday made a sweep of immigration-related arrests inside a Manhattan federal building that houses immigration court.
The group of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, donning masks and regular clothes, was observed inside 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan. Immigrants are often on-site at the location to manage administrative tasks, including applications for citizenship, court dates and other services.
Agents rounded up and arrested several immigrants and onlookers just after 11 a.m. on May 28. The feds appeared to have printouts of photographs to match their intended targets.
Agents surrounded their targets as they exited the elevator on the ground floor and took them into custody, according to the Citizen app. Some were handcuffed while others were escorted back into the elevator.
An attorney walking out of the building told reporters that the sweep was going on all day.
“Since early this morning, they were lining people up near the elevator and matching them up with photos on printed handouts,” the witness said.
THE CITY news website reported that a pastor from Queens who was observing the arrests was also taken into custody. It is unclear if that individual was charged.
It is also unclear how many people were detained, but the investigation remains ongoing.
Marie Ferguson, a spokesperson for ICE, said in THE CITY article that the federal agency is “now following the law” and placing “illegal aliens” in expedited removal.
“If they have a valid, credible fear claim, they will continue in immigration proceedings, but if no valid claim is found, aliens will be subject to swift deportations,” she said.
Immigration advocates quickly responded to the raid. Rosa Santana, co-executive director of Envision Freedom Fund, denounced the arrests Wednesday afternoon.
“Immigration courthouse arrests like the ones we are seeing here in New York City rip people from their families, destroy trust, and make it almost impossible for people to effectively fight their immigration cases,” she said. “Likewise, workplace raids prevent people from supporting their families financially, and the fear and chaos also make people afraid to seek medical care or to send their children to school. This is, shamefully, the intended effect.”
The arrests come on the heels of a NYC public school student whom ICE arrested last week during a court hearing.
Mayor Eric Adams has maintained that the case is a federal matter, and he is “limited” on what he can do to intervene.
