As the calendar has turned to September and one season transitions into another, very little has changed inside Lower Manhattan’s immigration court aside from the constant promise of chaos, court observers say.
For those who enter 26 Federal Plaza, the building has become known as a house of turmoil and disruption as attorneys and judges attempt to conduct hearings while immigrants are detained by ICE agents roaming the hallways. According to those who arrive to observe the proceedings, things have only escalated over the months to a free-for-all that leaves workers enraged and families terrified.
“This building, 26 Federal Plaza, rules don’t apply there. There are no rules. It changes minute by minute, day by day, they make it as hard as it can be,” a court observer who gave his name as Peter, told amNewYork. “I’ve been escorted down by no less than 10 agents in an elevator and made to leave the building for nothing more than going up to talk to the clerk in one of the windows to inquire about a motion.”
According to Peter, tensions have risen between the masked, armed agents and volunteers who attend hearings to offer support to immigrants arriving for their legally mandated proceedings.
Months ago, observers were permitted to walk the hallways of the building, but as temperatures rose and even clashes unfolded, they have now been relegated to waiting rooms.
Peter says he has seen attacks on observers firsthand.
“I’ve seen them push, I’ve seen one get kicked — I’ve been verbally accosted many times. They’ve pulled us out of waiting rooms, they’ve yelled at us, they’ve threatened us with numerous things, you know, just genuinely unpleasant,” Peter said. “I can’t say I’m shocked anymore.”
During amNewYork’s Sept. 8 visit to 26 Federal Plaza, over a dozen agents were seen stalking the corridors on the 12th floor. Advocates say the federal agents ramped up operations last week after an August lull, arresting more than 30 people over the course of the week.
No fewer than two people were taken into custody Monday as they left their hearings. One man appeared to fight the procedure for a few seconds before he yielded and was hauled away.
This is the continuation of a trend amNewYork has documented for over three months, including family separations and violent detentions.
In response to these images, Emma Kaplan of the Freedom Agenda bashed Trump for his deportation agenda.
“Trump is laughing and going along with his life while people are being terrorized and thrown in concentration camps. The question is, what are we, the decent people, going to do about it?” Kaplan asked.
Peter explained that he himself has been observing ICE nearly as long as they have been coming to court and reiterated what attorneys recently told amNewYork — that those often being arrested are working-class New Yorkers without criminal histories.
“Words can’t describe how sad it makes you feel,” Peter said. “It’s hard to see that a father of a family of four who has only been working in retail, who has been working tirelessly in a bulls#!t retail job, taking all sorts of hard abuse day to day, is a criminal just because he’s trying to file for asylum, coming from a dangerous nation. I understand that asylum has a definition, but that’s the point of our justice system. That’s the point of our laws: everyone has their day in court. No one is having their day in court here.”
