LOWER MANHATTAN, N.Y. (WPIX) — A newly released video from inside the holding cells at Manhattan’s immigration court is raising more concern over how federal immigration authorities are treating detainees.
Obtained by the New York Immigration Coalition, the video shows dozens of men crammed into a single room, sleeping on the floor with limited basic necessities and hygiene accommodations.
The facility, located in Lower Manhattan, was originally intended to hold individuals for less than 24 hours while they awaited transfer to larger detention centers. However, advocates have reported that people are being confined there for up to two weeks.
“This is just one room of dozens,” said Murad Awawdeh, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition. “The video illustrates what we’ve been saying for months — ICE and the Department of Homeland Security are using 26 Federal Plaza as a detention center in the most inhumane and cruel way possible.”
Immigration advocates and elected officials have long expressed concern about the treatment of individuals detained at the courthouse — many of whom were arrested after showing up for legal asylum or green card hearings.
Rep. Dan Goldman, a Democrat who represents Lower Manhattan, has pressed for a congressional oversight visit to the facility. He cited numerous anecdotal accounts of detainees being held for extended periods without access to clean clothing, adequate meals, or medical care.
“The conditions in this facility are worse than what you’d find in a jail housing a convicted murderer,” said Goldman. “One meal a day. No change of clothes. It’s hot. It stinks. The plumbing is insufficient. And there’s no medical care. Some have reportedly been held more than eight days.”
Despite these claims, the Department of Homeland Security denies any wrongdoing or that the facility is used for anything more than brief holds.
In a statement, the DHS said: “Any claim that there is overcrowding or subprime conditions at ICE facilities are categorically false. All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers.”