On August 12th, Federal Judge Kaplan ruled that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency cannot detain undocumented immigrants in the cramped and harsh conditions on the 10th floor of 26 Federal Plaza in New York City.
A temporary restraining order was issued by the U.S. District Court to prevent individuals arrested by ICE from being held in narrow and unsanitary environments, as seen in leaked video clips from the 10th floor of the Federal Plaza.
The restraining order also mandates ICE to improve hygiene conditions, thoroughly clean the facilities three times a day, provide sufficient hygiene products, offer mattresses, provide medical care, and ensure that detainees can make free, unmonitored, and confidential calls to their lawyers within 24 hours of being detained.
This ruling does not restrict ICE enforcement operations in the lobby of Federal Plaza 26 in New York City, but it mandates an immediate improvement in the detention environment. The order prohibits ICE from implementing detention in spaces of less than 50 square feet per person.
A video filmed by a detainee last month showed over twenty men cramped in one of the four detention rooms in the building, with many lying on the floor covered in blankets, but without mattresses or cushions.
In court documents, immigrants complained about not having soap, toothbrushes, or other hygiene products. They described being fed inedible “pool water” and having to endure the stench of sweat, urine, and feces, partly due to the presence of open toilets in the rooms. The lawsuit stated that a woman menstruating did not have menstrual products because the women in her room were only allocated two pads each.