A New York judge ordered the US president's administration to reduce capacity at an NYC facility
Immigration detainees held by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement at 26 Federal Plaza in New York City have won in a suit citing poor conditions at the facility, reported the Associated Press.
Judge Lewis A. Kaplan of the Southern District of New York issued a temporary restraining order that required the ICE to reduce capacity, ensure cleanliness, and provide sleeping mats at the government building’s four hold rooms after detainees complained about overcrowding as well as the lack of maintenance and essentials.
Per court filings, detainees were not given hygiene products like soap and toothbrushes. They also said that due to the presence of open toilets, the rooms smelled of sweat, urine, and feces. Female detainees reported they had to share limited menstrual products amongst themselves.
In addition, detainees claimed that they were given “slop” for meals and that 40 or more were being crammed into a single room. A detainee’s cellphone footage revealed that two dozen men were in one room; several were on the floor with no mattresses or padding, just thermal blankets.
The suit was filed on the detainees’ behalf by immigrant rights organization Make the Road New York, the New York Civil Liberties Union, and the American Civil Liberties Union. A government lawyer validated some of the complaints at a hearing on Tuesday August 12, although Nancy Zanello, who is with ICE’s New York City Field Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations, wrote in a sworn statement that just 24 people were being held at 26 Federal Plaza as of Monday August 11 and that hygiene products were made available.
“My conclusion here is that there is a very serious threat of continuing irreparable injury, given the conditions that I’ve been told about,” Kaplan said in a statement published by AP News.
The judge’s order required ICE officials to give each detainee 50 square feet (4.6 square meters) of space; according to AP News, this drops the capacity of 26 Federal Plaza’s biggest hold room to approximately 15 people per room. Kaplan also required officials to clean cells three times a day and supply an adequate amount of hygiene products.
Finally, the government was ordered to make accommodations for detainees to communicate with lawyers via confidential phone calls.
New York Immigration Coalition president and CEO Murad Awawdeh praised the ruling as a sign of progress but called for the facility’s permanent shutdown.
26 Federal Plaza is located in Manhattan and houses the immigration court as well as the FBI’s New York field office.
