DHS instructed to enhance conditions at a New York City detention center housing immigrant detainees, as decreed by the judge.
In a recent court ruling, a federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to improve conditions at a migrant detention facility located on the 10th floor of 26 Federal Plaza in New York City's Foley Square. The facility, which has been under scrutiny for overcrowded, unsanitary, and inhumane conditions, has been the subject of videos and reports showing detainees packed in small rooms with inadequate hygiene, medical care, and privacy.
The judge's order mandates several improvements, including limiting overcrowding to ensure at least 50 square feet per person, providing hygiene products, sleeping mats, medical access, and confidential legal phone calls within 24 hours. The holding areas must now be cleaned three times a day and supplied with soap, towels, feminine hygiene supplies, and other hygiene products.
A class action lawsuit was filed by immigrant rights groups against ICE and the Trump administration, alleging violations such as extended detentions beyond the facility’s intended temporary purpose, lack of access to medical care, and barred communication with attorneys. In response, a temporary restraining order was granted in August 2025, prohibiting ICE from detaining immigrants under abusive conditions and mandating better standards of care and access to legal counsel.
New York State Attorney General Letitia James also filed an amicus brief supporting the detainees’ motion for a preliminary injunction, condemning the continued illegal and abhorrent treatment at the facility and urging the federal government to comply with laws governing detainee treatment. Medical professionals have attempted to inspect the facility but have been blocked, with doctors warning of severe health and safety violations.
During court proceedings, a lawyer representing the U.S. Attorney's Office disputed some of the claims the detainees had made and stressed that the facility was designed for a short-term stay. However, detainees have claimed they were detained for several days or even weeks in the facility, with access to only one or two toilets shared among 40 to 90 people, and the toilets being in open view of the room. Some detainees have resorted to wrapping their aluminum sleeping blankets around themselves for privacy.
Attorneys representing one of the migrants detained there submitted declarations claiming individuals were held in crowded conditions and were not given the opportunity to shower, change clothes, or brush their teeth despite being held for a week or longer. Several attorneys have complained that they have been unable to locate their clients who they believed were held at the facility.
The Department of Homeland Security has said claims of overcrowding and unhygienic conditions at the facility are "categorically false" and that migrants are only being "briefly processed" there before being transferred elsewhere. Our website has requested comment from DHS on the judge's order, but as of now, no response has been received.
The ACLU's National Prison Project stated that today's order sends a clear message: ICE cannot hold people in abusive conditions and deny them their Constitutional rights to due process and legal representation. The judge's order marks a significant step towards ensuring that the migrants detained at 26 Federal Plaza are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.
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- The recent court ruling has led to a video interview featuring immigrant rights lawyers discussing the poor conditions at the 10th floor detention facility in New York City's Foley Square, raising concerns in general-news and politics discourse.
- Amidst the ongoing controversy, a video surfaced showing migrants packed in small rooms with inadequate hygiene facilities and medical care, escalating calls for reform in immigration policies.
- In the wake of the court decision, several news outlets have published videos and reports detailing the improved conditions at the facility, highlighting the ongoing efforts to ensure basic human rights for immigrants.
