A federal judge in the United States has instructed immigration authorities to upgrade the conditions at a New York City facility following reports detailing overcrowding, inedible food, and unsanitary conditions.
Judge Lewis Kaplan signed a temporary restraining order on Tuesday, requiring Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to carry out reforms at 26 Federal Plaza, a government building in Manhattan housing migrant and asylum seeker holding cells on one of its floors.
As per the restraining order, the government must cap the facility’s capacity, ensure proper hygiene, and provide sleeping mats. Judge Kaplan maintained that there is a significant threat of ongoing irreparable harm, given the dire conditions that have been described.
ICE will now be required to thoroughly clean the cells three times a day and supply sufficient quantities of essential items like soap, toilet paper, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and menstrual products.
Additionally, Kaplan has ordered immigration officials to reserve 4.6 square meters (50 square feet) per person, reducing the capacity of the largest room from over 40 detainees to just 15.
These changes are in response to a complaint lodged by lawyers on behalf of a Peruvian asylum seeker, Sergio Alberto Barco Mercado, who was taken into custody on August 8 after a scheduled court appearance. Barco Mercado and other detainees claim to have endured overcrowded, filthy, and punitive conditions and were denied access to their lawyers post-arrest.
The complaint details insufficient access to water and food, with Barco Mercado adding that the environment exacerbated a facial tooth infection. Some detainees also disclose lacking hygiene products and receiving inedible food, in addition to the putrid smell from the rooms which have open toilets. A video post from last month showed around 20 men compacted in one holding room, lying on the floor with thermal blankets but without mattresses.
During Tuesday’s hearing, a government attorney maintained that inhumane conditions are not acceptable. Despite this acknowledgment, the government attempted to downplay claims of overcrowding and unsanitary conditions, stating that as of Monday only 24 people were held in the four holding rooms, below the 154-person limit set by the city fire marshal. They also affirmed that necessary toilet and sink facilities, as well as hygiene products, were available.
The detention center at 26 Federal Plaza has become a contentious issue in New York City amid President Donald Trump’s intensified crackdown on undocumented immigration. The facility is two floors below an immigration court and has also been the site of legal proceedings for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other government agencies.
Typically, ICE’s high-profile raids occur at factories, farms, and other workplaces elsewhere in the country, while New York City sees most of its immigration arrests take place when migrants and asylum seekers leave their civil immigration hearings. Critics argue that such in-court arrests infringe on the right to due process and could deter foreign nationals from legally pursuing immigration.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/13/us-judge-orders-conditions-be-improved-in-new-york-immigration-facility?traffic_source=rss
