ICE facing directive to enhance detention conditions following claims of mistreatment from NYC immigration prisoners

In August 2025, a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order demanding significant improvements at the immigration holding facility on the 10th floor of 26 Federal Plaza in New York City. The order was issued following reports of extreme overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and inadequate medical care at the facility.

The judge's mandate requires Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to reduce overcrowding by ensuring at least 50 square feet per detainee, provide sleeping mats, access to hygiene products, and offer adequate medical care. Detainees must now also have free, unmonitored, and confidential legal calls within 24 hours of detention and receive a notice of their rights within one hour of arrival.

The order prohibits ICE from holding detainees in abusive, unsanitary, and overcrowded conditions and aims to ensure detainees are not forced to sleep on concrete floors or go hungry, addressing complaints of limited meals and lack of medical access.

Before the order, reports from immigrant advocates and detainees described a grim picture. Detainees were held for days or weeks in temporary holding cells meant for short-term stays, lacking basic necessities such as showers and medical attention. The situation prompted a class-action lawsuit by organizations including the ACLU and New York Civil Liberties Union.

Recent compliance with these court-mandated improvements is intended to prevent ICE from using the facility unless it meets these minimum standards, reversing earlier inhumane practices and promoting detainees' constitutional rights during their short-term holding period.

Notable cases include Carlos Lopez Benitez, who fled violence in Paraguay in 2023 and was seeking asylum in the U.S. when he was arrested and told he'd be in detention until a 2029 hearing on his asylum application. Another detainee, Sergio Barco Mercado, reported being held at 26 Federal Plaza for two days last week and described the hold room as "extremely crowded," cold, and smelling of sewage.

Barco Mercado, a native of Peru who sought asylum in the U.S. in 2022, also reported an exacerbated tooth infection due to the conditions at the facility. Both Barco Mercado and Lopez Benitez reported not always getting enough water while detained at 26 Federal Plaza.

The lawsuit was filed by immigrant rights organization Make the Road New York, the New York Civil Liberties Union, and the American Civil Liberties Union. As of Monday, a total of 24 people were held in the four hold rooms at 26 Federal Plaza, well below the city fire marshal's 154-person cap.

The decision was viewed as a rebuke of Trump's immigration policies by New York City Comptroller Brad Lander. Murad Awawdeh, the president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, called for the permanent closure of 26 Federal Plaza.

Judge Lewis A. Kaplan ordered the Trump administration to make accommodations for confidential legal telephone calls and to thoroughly clean the cells three times a day and provide an adequate supply of hygiene products. ICE's New York City Field Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations stated that each room has at least one toilet and sink, and hygiene products are available.

However, detainees continued to complain of a lack of soap, toothbrushes, and hygiene products. They also reported being fed inedible "slop" and enduring the "horrific stench" of sweat, urine, and feces. Lopez Benitez reported officers mocking him and blasting air conditioning, as well as serving meals that resembled dog food.

The improvements ordered by the judge aim to ensure that detainees at 26 Federal Plaza are treated humanely and with respect, in line with their constitutional rights.

ICE facing directive to enhance detention conditions following claims of mistreatment from NYC immigration prisoners