Immigration enforcement actions persist in Lower Manhattan for three months, with masked federal agents carrying out raids on immigrants, apparently without a definitive conclusion.
In the heart of Lower Manhattan, the immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza has become a hotbed of controversy. Over the past three months, masked ICE agents have been conducting raids inside the courthouse, arresting immigrants attending their mandated immigration hearings[1]. These arrests have become a regular occurrence, causing trauma and fear among immigrant attendees and their families [1][3].
The legality and ethics of these courthouse raids are at the centre of the controversy. Historically, a 2021 Department of Homeland Security directive had barred most immigration arrests in or near courthouses to protect access to justice. However, this was rescinded after President Trump's administration took office, and ICE replaced it with a memo allowing arrests inside courthouses [2]. Civil rights groups have filed lawsuits challenging these policies, arguing that ICE’s courthouse arrests violate constitutional rights and cause harm by detaining people without proper cause or due process [2].
Data indicates that New York City, particularly Lower Manhattan courthouses, has become a hotspot for such arrests, making it the U.S. capital of immigration courthouse arrests according to recent analysis. Judges and court personnel have publicly expressed concern about the chilling effect these raids have on immigrants’ willingness to appear in court, undermining the courthouse's role as a place of justice [3].
Opposition also points to recent court rulings in other jurisdictions, such as California, where federal courts found similar ICE tactics unconstitutional because they targeted people based on race, language, or presence near certain locations rather than suspicion of crimes [4].
City Comptroller Brad Lander has stated that immigration court is a "farce" due to the frequent seizures and has been arrested by federal agents at 26 Federal Plaza for his advocacy work. Lander believes the seizures at Federal Plaza are part of the Trump Administration's mass deportation machine [5].
The targets of the raids are men and women attending mandated immigration hearings. Witnesses, including federal employees, attorneys, and court observers, have reported feeling traumatized by the seizures. Some immigrants are too afraid to attend their hearings due to ICE's actions [3].
In one instance, a woman from Ecuador was admonished by Judge John Siemietkowski for appearing at her hearing virtually, as she had not been given permission to do so. Another woman was accosted by masked agents and pulled into a nearby stairwell for further questioning immediately after leaving Siemietkowski's courtroom [6]. Agents waiting just outside the courtroom made light of the woman's predicament by laughing and making hand gestures after she said she was scared of ICE [6].
Immigrants are being apprehended by the federal agents after their hearings, regardless of a judge's decision. Some individuals are being rushed into elevators or stairwells immediately after their hearings [5]. Lander has called upon city and state governments to provide more legal counsel to immigrants in danger of deportation [5].
These scenes of ICE apprehending immigrants after their hearings are likely to continue in the days and months to come, sparking legal challenges and community outcry over the violation of legal protections and the trauma inflicted on immigrant families [1][2][3].
The ongoing controversy revolves around the legality and ethics of ICE carrying out courthouse raids, especially in Lower Manhattan's immigration court at 26 Federal Places, as such arrests are deemed to infringe upon constitutional rights and undermine the courthouse's role as a place of justice. Civil rights groups, judges, and City Comptroller Brad Lander have all expressed concerns, with Lander referring to the proceedings as a "farce".
