Tag: 26 federal plaza

2025 in photos: The year ICE came to New York City – amNewYork

For just over half a year, amNewYork has documented the effect of Trump’s immigration crackdown in the Big Apple — from the advent of masked and heavily armed agents inside of immigration court, to the arrest of a prominent elected official, the separation of families, the emergence of federal detainments on the streets, and the citizens who fought back.

June

In early June amNewYork began chronicling the emergence of ICE agents inside 26 Federal Plaza and the revolving door of detainments started occurring as immigrants attended their legally mandated court hearings. Individuals were blindsided as they left the courtroom by the masked agents waiting in the corridor, dragging them away into elevators and out of sight.

ICE arrests a man inside 26 Federal Plaza in early June.Photo by Dean Moses

A man disappears in an elevator in ICE custody.Photo by Dean Moses

A man cries out as he is forced into an elevator by ICE. Photo by Dean Moses

Mid – June

The first major escalation occurred later that month. New York City Comptroller and then mayoral candidate Brad Lander set out to observe immigration hearings as news of the mass detainments began spreading. Lander not only looked to bear witness to what was taking place but to help escort immigrants from their hearings. On June 17 Lander became caught up in a now-infamous incident that saw the Feds tackle Lander as he asked them to show a warrant for their arrests. Lander clung to the arms of one respondent as he was grappled by at least four agents. The politician was roughed up and held at the facility until Gov. Kathy Hochul was able to help secure his release.

Brad Lander is grappled by ICE agents inside 26 Federal Plaza. Photo by Dean Moses

Brad Lander is grappled by ICE agents inside 26 Federal Plaza.Photo by Dean Moses

Brad Lander is grappled by ICE agents inside 26 Federal Plaza.Photo by Dean Moses

Brad Lander leaves 26 Federal Plaza with his wife and Gov. Kathy Hochul.Photo by Dean Moses

July

In July, immigration enforcement inside 26 Federal Plaza ramped up, with detainments becoming more heavy-handed. The agents changed tactics in July by rushing people into stairwells instead of loading them into elevators. This month also saw an apparent health-related emergency of a man who collapsed after being whisked into a stairwell. As the door swung open, he could be seen lying on the ground with his hands handcuffed as a masked agent looked over him.

The agents changed tactics in July by rushing people into stairwells instead of loading them into elevators.Photo by Dean Moses

A man is brutally pulled into a stairwell.Photo by Dean Moses

An ICE agent grabs a man by the back of his neck.Photo by Dean Moses

A man is yanked through the hallway by ICE.Photo by Dean Moses

August

For the most part, men found themselves the primary target of ICE inside the halls of immigration court. Sources with knowledge of the arrests say this was an attempt to cripple the income of a family unit by removing the breadwinner. Things changed in August as ICE began detaining women as well, in addition to a steady flow of males.

Things changed in August as ICE began detaining women. Photo by Dean Moses

A woman fights back tears as she is taken by ICE.Photo by Dean Moses

A woman is left stunned when she is set upon by ICE.Photo by Dean Moses

An ICE agent pulls a woman into a stairwell.Photo by Dean Moses

An ICE agent pushes his way through the hallway while dragging a man along with him.Photo by Dean Moses

Late – August

August also one of the most emotional family separations of the year. A mother of three from the Bronx begged for help her husband was ripped away from her family during a routine immigration hearing.

“It was very traumatic for me and my children. My daughter is distraught, they took their father away. I don’t know what to do,” Cocha said.

Cocha’s young daughter was pulled from her farther, begging and screaming.

A young girl clings to her father as ICE approaches.Photo by Dean Moses

But the young girl is ripped away by ICE.Photo by Dean Moses

The family was manhandled by the ICE agents.Photo by Dean Moses

They were left in tears.Photo by Dean Moses

September

In September, the violence escalated. A man who said he is an American Citizen was grasped around the neck by an ICE agent as he spoke out against the detainments. Meanwhile, a coalition of elected officials demanded access to inspect the conditions of the detainment facility, refusing to leave until they were granted access. Simultaneously, other politicians and New Yorkers protested outside of 26 Federal Plaza, resulting in mass arrests.

a coalition of elected officials demanded access to inspect the conditions of the detainment facility,Photo by Dean Moses

A man who said he is an American Citizen was grasped around the neck by an ICE agentPhoto by Dean Moses

A coalition of elected officials demanded access to inspect the conditions of the detainment facility, refusing to leave until they were granted access.Photo by Dean Moses

A coalition of elected officials demanded access to inspect the conditions of the detainment facility, refusing to leave until they were granted access.Photo by Dean Moses

Simultaneously, other politicians and New Yorkers protested outside of 26 Federal Plaza, resulting in mass arrests.  Photo by Dean Moses

Simultaneously, other politicians and New Yorkers protested outside of 26 Federal Plaza, resulting in mass arrests.  Photo by Dean Moses

Late – September

The violence inside 26 Federal Plaza reached a boiling point in late September when several journalists felt the wrath of ICE. An amNewYork journalist was manhandled and tossed by several ICE agents while several others were sent slamming to the floor. One photographer was so severely injured EMS had to remove him on a stretcher. Late into the month, another family separation left a child in tears.

amNewYork journalist is shoved by ICE.Photo by Dean Moses

One photographer was severely injured.Photo by Dean Moses

One photographer was severely injured.Photo by Dean Moses

EMS had to remove him on a stretcher.Photo by Dean Moses

A child was left weeping after his father was taken by ICE.Photo by Dean Moses

October

In October, amNewYork visited Franyelis and her children, 3-year-old Emmanuel and 8-year-old Yoneifer, at their Brooklyn home. The family described the emotional pain and financial struggles of living without her husband, who was detained by ICE. Every time someone knocked at the door, Emmanuel believed his dad was on the other side.

Every time someone knocked at the door, Emmanuel believed his dad was on the other side. Photo by Dean Moses

The family described the emotional pain and financial struggles of living without her husband, who was detained by ICE.Photo by Dean Moses

Late – October

On October 21, ICE spilled out of 26 Federal Plaza and onto the city streets. Conducting a massive operation on Canal Street, the agents detained several street vendors that drew immediate and fierce backlash from bystanders and immigrant advocates. The operation began at about 3 p.m. in the area of Centre and Canal Streets, where ICE agents showed up to question street vendors as part of an alleged operation to tackle counterfeit goods, according to a Homeland Security official. Soon thereafter, chaos erupted as pedestrians clashed with the armed Feds.

ICE pushes a man.Photo by Dean Moses

A woman wearing a polkadot dress became a folk hero after standing between ICE and protesters.Photo by Dean Moses

ICE arrests a man near Canal Street.Photo by Dean Moses

An ICE agent pushes a woman to the ground with a nightstick.Photo by Dean Moses

November

In November, amNewYork documented the lives of several more families, including that of Jessica Supliguicha, whose daughter was born mere days after her husband was deported, leaving her and her son Dylan in emotional ruin. Meanwhile, Alexandra Alvarez and her baby Mia were separated from Manuel Mejia Hernandez, resulting in them begging for aid to get him back. Finally, Heury Gomez, who had been held in ICE custody for four months, finally reunited with his family in time for Thanksgiving.

Hearing his mother, Jessica Supliguicha, sob softly, her 9-year-old son Dylan sidled over to her and embraced her. Jessica’s husband, Jorge, was apprehended by ICE in September.Photo by Dean Moses

Jessica weeps as she stands over her baby.Photo by Dean Moses

Alexandra Alvarez holds her 11-month-old baby surrounded by photographs of her husband.Photo by Dean Moses

“You don’t love me anymore, you don’t come to visit me no more,” Heury Gomez’s mothersaid in Spanish, blissfully unaware of where her son had been for so long.Photo by Dean Moses

Heury Gomez was surprised by the awaiting family.Photo by Dean Moses

Heury Gomez’s eyes lit up, a young child ran into his arms, his sister broke down into profuse, uncontrolled tears. Even the 16-year-old family dog greeted him warmly.Photo by Dean Moses

Late – November

At the end of November, ICE tried once more to perform a massive, sweeping ICE raid along Canal Street, but this time New Yorkers were ready for them. A large group of protesters tracked the army of Feds to a nearby parking garage, where they had a standoff before NYPD officers arrived, resulting in a violent clash and a slew of arrests.

Mayhem erupted outside of a Chinatown parking garage on Saturday after protesters learned of a massive ICE presence inside.Photo by Dean Moses

Photo by Dean Moses

Photo by Dean Moses

Photo by Dean Moses

Immigrant advocates and elected officials condemned the NYPD on Sunday for its heavy-handed response to anti-ICE protests in Chinatown that turned chaotic 24 hours earlier.Photo by Dean Moses

Photo by Dean Moses

December

In December, good fortune fell upon several families. NYC high school student Deglis Yohardis Salazar Osuna, 20, was reunited with his parents after being held in ICE detention. The holiday season also saw Alexandra Alvarez reunited with her husband Manuel Mejia Hernandez at La Guardia airport minutes before their daughter’s first birthday.

A high school student brutally arrested by ICE during a routine court hearing last week was released back into the arms of his family Wednesday after a massive fight for his release.Photo by Dean Moses

Emerging through the door, his mother leapt to her feet, wrapping her arm around her son and letting out wails of pain and happiness.Photo by Dean Moses

The family wiped their tears.Photo by Dean Moses

The family embraces for the first time.Photo by Dean Moses

Manuel Mejia Hernandez reunites with his wife Alexandra Alvarez and their 1-year-old daughter Mia at LaGuardia Airport in Queens on Dec. 5, 2025. Hernandez had spent many weeks in ICE captivity.Photo by Dean Moses

Manuel Mejia Hernandez and Alexandra Alvarez celebrate their daughter’s first birthday.Photo by Dean Moses

Photo by Dean Moses

Dean Moses

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December 30, 2025
‘Deeply troubling’: Mamdani promises review of NYPD’s role in immigration court observer surveillance | amNewYork

New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.

REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani described newly disclosed reports that the FBI and NYPD monitored a private group chat used by volunteers observing the city’s immigration courts as “deeply troubling” on Monday, and vowed that his incoming administration would conduct a review.

The Guardian last week initially reported that the FBI monitored immigrant-rights activists by accessing a “courtwatch” Signal group, which organizes volunteers who observe public hearings at three federal immigration courts in NYC. A two-page “joint situational information report” from the FBI and the NYPD dated from Aug. 28, which The Guardian obtained, had quoted from the encrypted messaging app Signal and characterized the court watchers as “anarchist violent extremist actors.”

The CITY was first to confirm that the NYPD had been involved in the operation. Despite Signal being end-to-end encrypted, the FBI stated that it obtained the messages through a “sensitive source with excellent access,” implying that someone within the chat was sharing information.

In a statement to amNewYork, an NYPD spokesperson on Monday distanced itself from the joint report, saying it is not an NYPD document. The department said it relates to a broader counterterrorism investigation into a range of potential criminal activities, including weapons training, violence against law enforcement, property damage, and discussions about bomb-making.

The NYPD added that the report has been reviewed by an external civilian representative under a standing court order that created 10-member NYPD Handschu Committee in the wake of federal lawsuits alleged the department improperly investigated the Muslim community.

The committee, which includes nine NYPD officials and a civilian representative, oversees the opening, extension, and closure of investigations into political activity, including terrorism.

The civilian representative, currently attorney Muhammad Faridi, serves a five-year term and can report potential abuses to the NYPD commissioner and the federal judge overseeing the Handschu case.

Faridi, appointed by Mayor Adams in 2023, told The City Friday that he had reviewed NYPD records, saying it referred to one surveillance subject and concluded that the inquiry meets Handschu Committee guidelines.

Comptroller Brad Lander at 26 Federal Plaza on Oct. 24, 2025, to bear witness to immigration cases as ICE agents wait in the hallways.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

When asked about the NYPD’s involvement while speaking at Monday’s announcement in Central Park for his transition team, Mamdani said it was “deeply troubling” and “that’s something that we’re going to look into.”

Speaking on the important role court observers have played in the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration crackdown, Mamdani recalled a conversation he had a with a Brooklyn pastor on the campaign trail who spoke of an immigrant they had accompanied to a hearing “and part of the reason that she was able to go home that day is because of the court watchers who were there.”

He told reporters that the NYPD having any involvement in spying on court watchers is not something that will be part of his administration and “something that we follow up on.”

For months, a mNewYork has been reporting on volunteer court observers who accompany immigrants to their required ICE check-in appointments on the fifth floor of 26 Federal Plaza, where they monitor and document what they believe are increasing detainments.

They say ICE is increasingly arresting individuals there, sometimes before they even reach their scheduled appointments, and have lately stressed that these moments happen out of sight of journalists and lawyers.

Responding to further questions about federal immigration enforcement, Mamdani said New York’s sanctuary laws already allow cooperation with federal authorities for a narrow list of serious crimes, but he criticized ICE for focusing enforcement on children and immigrants whose only offense is being present in the city.

“What I said to the president is that New York City sanctuary laws have a provision within them that allows the city to work with the federal government for a specific set of serious crimes, and that has been the law for decades here in New York City,” said Mamdani. “What’s giving so many New Yorkers, including myself, a deep amount of concern is that the focus of ICE’s immigration efforts has not been on those serious crimes. They have, in fact, been on children as young as six years old, being detained and deported. They have been on New Yorkers whose crime seems to just be being here in New York City.”

The mayor-elect added that his commitment to public safety is to keep all New Yorkers safe, and “that’s where we have a difference of opinion.”

Adam Daly

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November 24, 2025
The mystery of 26 Federal Plaza’s fifth floor: Volunteers say ICE is taking more immigrants during routine check-ins out of view of observers and press | amNewYork

What is happening on the fifth floor of 26 Federal Plaza? That is the question New Yorkers are asking as their neighbors walk into the facility, but don’t come out.

For five months, amNewYork has documented ICE detainments of people attending their legally mandated court hearings on the 12th and 14th floors of the now infamous facility in Lower Manhattan. However, while these arrests continue to take place, the rate at which they occur has dramatically declined in recent weeks — at least the arrests that are visible to the public.

Volunteers who accompany immigrants to their court-mandated appointments at 26 Federal Plaza told amNewYork that federal agents seem to be apprehending more detainees on the fifth floor, which houses ICE check-ins, a mandatory appointment for individuals released from immigration custody who are awaiting a court hearing or other immigration proceedings.

The agency requires people to report in person to ICE to confirm their compliance with release conditions. In recent weeks, volunteers tell amNewYork that they have ICE has arrested individuals — sometimes upward of five at a time — as they wait for their check-ins. Witnesses emphasize that some of these detentions occur before they even reach their appointments.

“The detentions on the 12th and 14th floor have gone down in terms of volume, especially as the number of friends are not showing up anymore. The challenge now is that ICE has relocated their efforts to the fifth floor, where you have the ICE check-ins, which is a really brutal practice,” said one court observer who identified himself to amNewYork as Peter. “The rate of detention down there is new. I think the focus down there is new.”

An ICE agent walks on the 5th floor of 26 Federal Plaza carrying a vest.Photo by Dean Moses

Father Eduardo Fabian Arias, a pastor who offers support to those affected by ICE detentions, also told amNewYork that has seen an increase in families who have had loved ones taken into custody by ICE agents during check-ins.

“First, they tell people in court that they need to come in two years. But in the next few days, they call and they say, you need to come in this Saturday or this Sunday or this day into the next week, you need to come in for a presentation to ICE. Now they don’t go to court, now they go directly to ICE,” Father Fabian said.

City Comptroller Brad Lander, who has been attending immigration proceedings inside 26 Federal Plaza for about five months himself, echoed Father Fabian’s comments, adding that the lack of transparency regarding the number of people being taken to the fifth floor is disturbing.

“They have the right to insist that you come, just check in, and show yourself. And those aren’t public, and we don’t get numbers. They certainly have been doing detainments from those without providing any record, clarity, visibility, or evidence that it’s compliant with the rule of law,” Lander said. “On the one hand, they want a very visible, cruel part, like what’s happening on the streets, and on the other hand, they’re under orders from Stephen Miller to ratchet the numbers up.”

Father Eduardo Fabian AriasPhoto by Dean Moses

For many, these apprehensions are all the more concerning since they take place out of sight of journalists. Members of the media are not permitted to witness ICE check-ins.

It is not just the media; many say lawyers are also separated from their clients, and Father Fabian believes the federal agents are taking advantage of the restrictions to step up their apprehensions out of sight of journalists.

“This is very difficult. Last week, we had one case with a mother and a 14-year-old girl, both detained. People waiting outside were asking what happened,” Father Fabian said.

Another court observer, who declined to give her name, said this shocking detainment of the mother and her teen daughter, who attended high school in Upper Manhattan, took place on Wednesday. Not only that, she added the mother had signed a waiver to allow the court observer to speak on her behalf, but security would not allow them inside.

amNewYork reached out to the DHS for comment and information about the situation on the fifth floor, and is awaiting a response.

During one episode, a worker was seen pushing a cart holding clear plastic bags filled with clothing and sneakers. “It’s from the gym,” the worker pushing the cart snapped. However, the side of the cart was inscribed with the words: “Deportation unit.” Photo by Dean Moses

This reporter attempted to investigate rampant detainments but could not venture far from the elevator bank. Federal agents could be seen walking back and forth, with some becoming irate at the sight of journalists on the floor.

During one episode, a worker was seen pushing a cart holding clear plastic bags filled with clothing and sneakers.

“It’s from the gym,” the worker pushing the cart snapped. However, the side of the cart was inscribed with the words: “Deportation unit.”

It’s unclear whether the clothes in the bag belonged to the detainees.

“It’s just very difficult to say, because there’s no oversight into the method of detention. You know, once they go down the elevators, once they go behind a door, once they go behind the 10th floor. And now, of course, the fifth floor, no one knows,” said Peter, the court observer. “My gut tells me that they are not ice gym fatigues, that it is very much personal effects from someone, but until otherwise proven, that’s what I’m going to believe, because that’s just the nature of the beast these days.”

The side of the cart was inscribed with the words: “deportation unit.”Photo by Dean Moses

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November 16, 2025
A Queens mom and her young family try to find ‘the strength to survive’ after ICE took their husband and father away | amNewYork

Ecuadorian native Jessica Supliguicha sat inside her Queens apartment, cradling her month-old baby. She wept as she thought of her husband, Jorge, who had never met the girl she held in her arms; he had been deported to Ecuador three days before their baby was born.

“I don’t know where I get the strength to survive,” Supliguicha said with tears welling in her eyes.

The tot’s father was taken into custody by ICE agents inside 26 Federal Plaza on Sept. 6; meanwhile, his eight-month pregnant wife was outside of the building waiting to reunite with him. Although other families emerged, Jorge never came out. A lawyer called Supliguicha frantically, stating that Jorge had been detained.

It was a moment that not only left her traumatized, with only a month post-partum, she would now be unable to provide for her family. Hearing his mother sob softly, her 9-year-old son Dylan sidled over to her and embraced her.

How Jorge and Jessica met

Photo by Dean Moses

Ecuadorian native Jessica Supliguicha sat inside her Queens apartment, cradling her month-old baby. She wept as she thought of her husband, Jorge, who had never met the girl she held in her arms. Heartbreakingly for Supliguicha, Jorge was deported to Ecuador three days before their baby was born.Photo by Dean Moses

amNewYork followed Supliguicha as she went about her daily life — preparing food for the newborn and folding laundry while Dylan watched YouTube videos and took his Halloween costume for a test spin.

“It’s Huggy Wuggy!” the boy exclaimed, disappearing into a blue fury costume. Dylan also explained that he was preparing for the Big Halloween dance at school, something he was brimming with excitement over.

“It’s Huggy Wuggy!” the boy exclaimed, disappearing into a blue fury costume. Dylan also explained that he was preparing for the Big Halloween dance at school, something he was brimming with excitement over.Photo by Dean Moses

Despite both of them attempting to put on a brave face, a sense of sadness and despair clung to the walls and ceilings of the home, a pressure that felt as though it added weight to each movement.

Dylan was born out of a previous marriage, but Jorge was, for all intents and purposes, his father — serving as the patriarch he did not have.

“Jorge came to fill up that emptiness that Dylan needed,” Supliguicha said.

Now, Dylan is left without a father figure and feels that the only friend he has is his cat.

For Jorge and Supliguicha, it was a time-old romance of two friends who just never got the timing right. They had known each other since they were just 15 years old, but it wasn’t until 20 years later that fate struck when they reconnected in 2023.

Both already had families and kids, but something changed this time. Supliguicha saw Jorge with different eyes.

Both still feared the violence that continued to brew in their motherland. While Supliguicha became a citizen in 2023 after ten years of residency, Jorge had fled stateside after one of his brothers was killed in Ecuador by a gang. When they both found each other in New York, they also discovered comfort in one another and fell in love.Photo by Dean Moses

Both still feared the violence that continued to brew in their motherland. While Supliguicha became a citizen in 2023 after 10 years of residency, Jorge had fled stateside after one of his brothers was killed in Ecuador by a gang.

When they met in New York, they also discovered comfort in each other and fell in love.

Jorge was attempting to resolve the situation with his papers since he had a deportation order that had to be amended because he was marrying a US citizen and his wife was pregnant. They fitted him with an ankle monitor without explanation; he wore the monitor when they tied the knot.

After four days of marriage, Jorge received a letter stating that he had to appear in court on Sept. 6. He complied with the order, and was subsequently taken into custody by ICE. Supliguicha has not seen him since.

“I felt that the world was coming to an end,” Supliguicha said. “They change your life overnight.”

Photo by Dean Moses

Photo by Dean Moses

She was shocked from the moment she lost Jorge in the hands of ICE, and as the days passed, she entered the final month of her pregnancy and fell into a depressive state.

“I became anemic. She (her baby) was underweight,” Supliguicha said.

Between tears, Supliguicha remembered how she felt the moment they gave her her child, Maite Cristina, after giving birth on Oct. 5. She explains how her pregnancy was an at-risk one, since she had miscarried in the past.

Photo by Dean Moses

Photo by Dean Moses

“She was a girl that I was going to lose from the beginning. She overcame many things(during the pregnancy). But, I never thought that at eight months she would also have to overcome the absence of her father,” Supliguicha said.

Still, something was missing: Jorge.

Currently, Jorge is hiding in Ecuador, where he could be persecuted and killed. Supliguicha fears for her husband’s life, with the continued violence on the streets and his brother being murdered by gang members, Jorge is in hiding to survive.

The dread for her husband’s life and whether her family will ever see him again is an unbearable weight Supliguicha must carry while caring for her family alone.

“A former sister in law got involved with that gang of robberies and drugs. His family was harmed.” Supliguicha explains why her husband is in danger in Ecuador. “He couldn’t prove here with facts that he was in danger. Right now, he is in danger. He’s always hiding. He doesn’t go out much.”

Both are waiting for the I-130 form, a petition used by U.S. citizens to bring a non-citizen relative who wants to come to the U.S, to be approved.

In the meantime, Supliguicha plans to return to work in three weeks because she is struggling to make ends meet and cannot afford the rent.

Despite both of them attempting to put on a brave face, a sense of sadness and despair clung to the walls and ceilings of the home, a pressure that felt as though it added weight to each movement.Photo by Dean Moses

Supliguicha created a GoFundMe account to help support her family. She hopes for the future to reunify the family and wishes her daughter to be able to grow with her father.

“All I can do is move forward and find a way to do things the way they’re supposed to be. Hoping that the paperwork will one day be approved,” she said.

At the same time, she emphasizes that her situation is not unique, but rather one of many.

“I would like them to stop and give them the opportunity for the people who were deported to be reunited, to be together again. Experiencing family separation is awful. My daughter is very young; she can’t understand, but there are older children who can. My husband’s daughters, who were also left without a father,” Supliguichia said.

By Dean Moses, Amanda Moses, and Florencia Arozarena

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November 2, 2025
ICE raid fallout: Goldman says feds detained four American citizens detention overnight, pledges task force in response | amNewYork

Congressman Dan Goldman said that four of the people arrested during the Canal Street ICE raid on Tuesday were American Citizens, and they were held at 26 Federal Plaza overnight.

Photo by Dean Moses

US Rep. Dan Goldman said late on Wednesday afternoon that four of the people arrested during Tuesday’s ICE raid in Chinatown were American citizens who were held overnight at 26 Federal Plaza.

Goldman fumed as he once again stood outside of the immigration facility late Wednesday afternoon, charging that he believes the viral, violent federal raid that amNewYork reported on was designed by President Trump to sow the seeds of chaos in advance of eventually sending military personnel into the Big Apple.

“It is purely a pretext to incite violence, so that this administration can then say that it needs to bring in the military to stop violence that they have created,” Goldman charged. “This is not how you conduct an operation designed to be targeted at criminal undocumented immigrants.”

During the now infamous raid, passing New Yorkers became enraged at the sight of vendors being taken away in cuffs by masked men and confronted them, leading to people being shoved to the ground and narrowly missing oncoming traffic.

Amidst the mayhem, four American citizens were arrested by federal agents and taken back to 26 Federal Plaza in cuffs, where they were held overnight before being released just prior to Goldman speaking out.

Congressman Dan Goldman said that four of the people arrested during the Canal Street ICE raid on Tuesday were American Citizens, and they were held at 26 Federal Plaza overnight.Photo by Dean Moses

“There is no circumstance when four American citizens should be arrested for no reason, because they were released today without any charges. There was no basis. ICE is not allowed to arrest American citizens,” Goldman said. “They spent the night in 26 Federal Plaza in detention, immigration detention, American citizens for nothing. No charges, nothing. This is an abuse of power, and it must stop.”

Goldman’s statements would appear to indicate potential constitutional violations by ICE of the arrested citizens’ right to due process of law, specifically as outlined in the 14th Amendment.

As ICE activity spills out of the courtroom and onto the streets, the Congress member said he is looking to create a task force to respond to these incidents in real time. However, he noted that this is still in the brainstorming stage and has yet to develop a comprehensive plan.

“My office is working together with other advocates and overlapping elected officials to set up a rapid response task force to coordinate and make sure that no New Yorkers suffer from excessive force, violence, and abuse. If you are going to come here and pretend to act as a federal official, then you’d better act according to the law,” he said.

Goldman noted that he previously worked as a lawyer for a decade “with ICE agents, Department of Homeland Security agents … prosecuting real criminals.”

“This is not how they ordinarily behaved. This is coming from the top down with instructions to cause chaos and violence. What we need right now, from the top down, and I’m talking to you, [acting ICE] Director [Todd] Lyons, tell your agents to cool it,” Goldman said.

Dean Moses

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October 22, 2025
ICE in courts: Arrests of immigrants continue at Federal Plaza, leaving children in tears after families separated | amNewYork

ICE arrests continued in immigration court Wednesday, including an emotional family separation that left two children in tears amid a government shutdown, seeing court hearings briefly delayed.

Photo by Dean Moses

A day after roughing up reporters and hours after the federal government shut down, masked ICE agents continued their seizure operations Wednesday at 26 Federal Plaza — which included an emotional family separation that left two children in tears.

The detainments came one day after a hectic scuffle inside 26 Federal Plaza that saw masked feds brutally shove press photographers, leaving one journalist hospitalized after suffering a serious injury from a fall.

Tensions reached an all-time high on Oct. 1 as resolute members of the press continued to document ICE activity following the injury. While some of the agents expressed sorrow for the dramatic incident that made headlines, others doubled down, blaming the media.

Despite the tension and the federal government shutdown, which indefinitely delayed scheduled hearings at immigration courts, business for the federal agents went on.

A man is arrested without even seeing a judge.Photo by Dean Moses

Photo by Dean Moses

Judges initially did not hold court hearings during the early part of the morning. Immigrants arrived on the 12th floor only to be sent away, and although they did not see a judge, ICE agents waiting outside the court quickly whisked them away.

“There is no due process,” one court observer said.

Later, however, the courtrooms reopened, but the detainments continued. One man was pulled from his family and rushed down a hallway and out of sight. His two young sons were left howling in sorrow and weeping profusely as their mother guided them away, also crying. Another woman was likewise left in tears at the mere sight of the armed, masked men.

Court observers could be seen taking her by the arms and guiding her to court as she dabbed her eyes with a tissue.

A woman is left in tears at the sight of ICE.Photo by Dean Moses

A child weeps after his father is taken by ICE.Photo by Dean Moses

This all comes mere days after an ICE agent was suspended and then reinstated for shoving an Ecuadorian mother, Monica Moreta-Galarza, to the ground after she pleaded for mercy for her husband.

As tensions escalate, Moreta-Galarza’s attorney, Lina Stillman, told amNewYork that she is recommending that those who have upcoming hearings not attend them alone.

“I would say to them, don’t show up to court by themselves. The entire world is seeing what’s happening to these families because you guys are there. The reason this video went viral is that it’s outrageous. This shouldn’t happen to anybody, this shouldn’t happen anywhere,” Stillman said.

A man is arrested by ICE.Photo by Dean Moses

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October 1, 2025
Federal agents grab and shove journalists outside NYC immigration court, sending one to hospital

Federal agents grabbed and shoved journalists in a hallway outside a New York City immigration court on Tuesday, sending one to the hospital in the latest clash between authorities enforcing President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and members of the public seeking to observe and document their actions.A visual journalist identified as L. Vural Elibol of the Turkish news agency Anadolu hit his head on the floor at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents pushed one journalist off a public elevator and shoved another journalist to the floor, according to video and witnesses.A bystander held Elibol’s head and a nurse treated him until an ambulance arrived, witnesses said. Video showed him in a neck brace as paramedics wheeled him out of the building on a stretcher. The other journalists, amNewYork police bureau chief Dean Moses and Olga Fedorova, a freelance photographer whose clients include The Associated Press, were not seriously injured.Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin defended the agents’ actions, saying they were being “swarmed by agitators and members of the press, which obstructed operations.””Officers repeatedly told the crowd of agitators and journalists to get back, move, and get out of the elevator,” McLaughlin said in a statement. “Rioters and sanctuary politicians who encourage individuals to interfere with arrests are actively creating hostile environments that put officers, detainees and the public in harm’s way.”A message seeking comment was left for the Anadolu news agency.Moses said the situation escalated when masked agents grabbed him and shoved him from an elevator on the 12th floor as he was attempting to photograph them arresting a woman who had just left immigration court.”I walked into the elevator behind them, and they started screaming at me,” Moses told amNewYork. “Then they pushed me, grabbed me by my arms, and started pulling me out of the elevator. I tried to hold on, but I got shoved out.”Video taken by photographer Stephanie Keith showed that during the struggle, another agent shoved Fedorova, who fell backward toward where Elibol lay on the floor.Fedorova said photographers had worked in the hallway outside immigration court for months without incident. The agents making arrests Tuesday, she said, didn’t announce any limits where journalists could go, and they hadn’t made it clear they were making an arrest when they got on the elevator.”If they tell us to get out, to not cross a certain line, we follow their orders,” Fedorova said. “In this case, it was not clear to anyone that this was a detention at all.”The episode happened just days after a federal agent at the Manhattan immigration court was captured on video shoving an Ecuadorian woman into a wall and onto the floor after her husband was arrested.Both confrontations took place in a part of the federal building that is open to the public, and is routinely filled with immigrants on their way to and from court hearings, agents waiting to make arrests, activists there to protest the arrests, and journalists documenting the confrontations.Elected Democrats, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, denounced the agents’ use of force and the Republican administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement.”This abuse of law-abiding immigrants and the reporters telling their stories must end,” Hochul wrote in a social media post. “What the hell are we doing here?”State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a candidate for New York City mayor, said: “We cannot accept or normalize what has now become routine violence at 26 Federal Plaza. It has no place in our city.”

NEW YORK —

Federal agents grabbed and shoved journalists in a hallway outside a New York City immigration court on Tuesday, sending one to the hospital in the latest clash between authorities enforcing President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and members of the public seeking to observe and document their actions.

A visual journalist identified as L. Vural Elibol of the Turkish news agency Anadolu hit his head on the floor at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents pushed one journalist off a public elevator and shoved another journalist to the floor, according to video and witnesses.

A bystander held Elibol’s head and a nurse treated him until an ambulance arrived, witnesses said. Video showed him in a neck brace as paramedics wheeled him out of the building on a stretcher. The other journalists, amNewYork police bureau chief Dean Moses and Olga Fedorova, a freelance photographer whose clients include The Associated Press, were not seriously injured.

Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin defended the agents’ actions, saying they were being “swarmed by agitators and members of the press, which obstructed operations.”

“Officers repeatedly told the crowd of agitators and journalists to get back, move, and get out of the elevator,” McLaughlin said in a statement. “Rioters and sanctuary politicians who encourage individuals to interfere with arrests are actively creating hostile environments that put officers, detainees and the public in harm’s way.”

A message seeking comment was left for the Anadolu news agency.

Moses said the situation escalated when masked agents grabbed him and shoved him from an elevator on the 12th floor as he was attempting to photograph them arresting a woman who had just left immigration court.

“I walked into the elevator behind them, and they started screaming at me,” Moses told amNewYork. “Then they pushed me, grabbed me by my arms, and started pulling me out of the elevator. I tried to hold on, but I got shoved out.”

Video taken by photographer Stephanie Keith showed that during the struggle, another agent shoved Fedorova, who fell backward toward where Elibol lay on the floor.

Fedorova said photographers had worked in the hallway outside immigration court for months without incident. The agents making arrests Tuesday, she said, didn’t announce any limits where journalists could go, and they hadn’t made it clear they were making an arrest when they got on the elevator.

“If they tell us to get out, to not cross a certain line, we follow their orders,” Fedorova said. “In this case, it was not clear to anyone that this was a detention at all.”

The episode happened just days after a federal agent at the Manhattan immigration court was captured on video shoving an Ecuadorian woman into a wall and onto the floor after her husband was arrested.

Both confrontations took place in a part of the federal building that is open to the public, and is routinely filled with immigrants on their way to and from court hearings, agents waiting to make arrests, activists there to protest the arrests, and journalists documenting the confrontations.

Elected Democrats, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, denounced the agents’ use of force and the Republican administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement.

“This abuse of law-abiding immigrants and the reporters telling their stories must end,” Hochul wrote in a social media post. “What the hell are we doing here?”

State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a candidate for New York City mayor, said: “We cannot accept or normalize what has now become routine violence at 26 Federal Plaza. It has no place in our city.”

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September 30, 2025
ICE in Courts: Lander, Goldman demand Congressional inquiry into Homeland Security after ICE supervisor who violently shoved mother was reinstated | amNewYork

The ICE supervisor relieved of his duties by homeland security after he shoved a mother to the ground in 26 Federal Plaza.

Photo by Dean Moses

City Comptroller Brad Lander and U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman are demanding an oversight inquiry into Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem after she reinstated the ICE supervisor who was caught on video shoving a mother to the ground at 26 Federal Plaza last week.

The two Democratic pols are fuming after it became clear that the infamous ICE agent involved in the viral shoving of an Ecuadorian mother in the hallway of immigration court would be returning to work.

In a statement issued on Sept. 26, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claimed that the fed in question would be suspended pending an investigation.

“Our ICE law enforcement are held to the highest professional standards and this officer is being relieved of current duties as we conduct a full investigation,” McLaughlin said in a statement.

That investigation proved to be short-lived, however, after news broke Monday evening that the agent in question had been reinstated, and was back on the job at 26 Federal Plaza — where for months, ICE agents have seized immigrants attending court-mandated hearings.

Lander and Goldman said Noem has explaining to do as to why the ICE supervisor, who still has not been publicly identified, was brought back on duty so quickly after he was purportedly suspended.

“With yesterday’s reinstatement of an ICE agent who violently threw a bereft woman to the floor and today’s assault on members of the press, it’s back to business as usual for the Trump Administration — because, after all, the cruelty is the point,” Lander said on Sept. 30. “These heinous actions cannot go unanswered, which is why I am demanding answers from Secretary Noem and the Department of Homeland Security on the conduct of ICE agents and their use of excessive force.”

The officials also alleged that ICE is hiring agents with little experience or expertise and without proper training. They are also critiquing Noem for not publicly releasing the findings of the DHS investigation into the shoving incident.

“The Department’s decision to reinstate this officer is outrageous, especially in light of their own acknowledgement last week that his conduct was unacceptable,” Goldman said. “This officer deserves criminal investigation, not a paycheck from the taxpayers, and it has become clear that giving him a pass for this behavior is incentivizing other rank and file agents to commit violence against civilians.”

The announcement from Lander and Goldman came hours after masked ICE agents accosted members of the press documenting an arrest at 26 Federal Plaza.

Dean Moses

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September 30, 2025
ICE in court: Temporary order blocking mass detainment at 26 Federal Plaza extended amid uncertainty | amNewYork

A man is led away to the 10th floor by ICE.

Photo by Dean Moses

A judge’s temporary restraining order preventing a large number of immigrants from being held in ICE detention on the 10th floor of 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan has been extended, but advocates and elected officials fear what will happen when the ruling finally expires.

The immigration court at Fedearl Plaza continues to play host to a steady stream of emotional ICE arrests, including family separations that leave children weeping. The number of arrests appears to have slowed over the last several weeks since a federal judge ordered that conditions in the facility be improved, as well as reduce the number of people held there.

The order was due to sunset on Aug. 26, but has since been extended through Tuesday, Sept. 9. The arrests went on Wednesday, Aug. 27, as amNewYork observed two apprehensions in immigration court on the 12th floor.

In one incident, an ICE agent confiscated a woman’s paperwork as she left a courtroom in order to prevent her from leaving the building. She said she just needed to use the bathroom; however, she snatched the paperback and returned to court.

“I guess she changed her mind,” the agent said.

In another incident, a man leaving his hearing later that afternoon was ambushed by several masked men and pulled away into a stairwell.

A man is taken by ICE at court.Photo by Dean Moses

A woman is led away by ICE. Photo by Dean Moses

City Comptroller Brad Lander, who has made visits to immigration court almost on a weekly basis, says that it appears that the Department of Homeland Security is abiding by the judge’s order while also stating that even one detainment is too many.

“The numbers have been more like three or four in recent days — three or four too many, but thankfully down from the numbers that we were seeing earlier,” Lander said. “We were worried before today that the temporary restraining order was not going to be extended. So, it’s extended until Sept. 9, that is a good thing.”

With the order expiring next month, some say they are concerned about the wide-ranging effects on the immigrant community. In an interview with amNewYork, Co-Director of Health Justice New York Lawyers for the Public Interest Karina Albistegui Adler said the medical well-being of detainees in custody is one of her biggest concerns.

She claims people in ICE detention are not receiving urgent medical care.

”We’ve seen cases where people are detained who have very serious conditions, like a history of a recent open-heart surgery, and long-term care for HIV that they’ve been receiving. They’re detained at their court hearing without those medications,” Adler said. “Because they are being moved around, family members don’t know where they are, don’t know how to advocate for them to get their medication. Sometimes they themselves don’t know that they have the right to continue to receive care.”

The 10th floor of 26 Federal Plaza was widely criticized for its cramped and unhygienic conditions, which led to several filings seeking to prevent overcrowding. Yet while the in-court detentions have slightly slowed, Adler railed that anyone detained is not given medical attention once they are taken.

“That exacerbates their health just being detained. There’s no way to be healthy when you’re in immigration custody, frankly. And what we’re seeing with not just in the past three months with 26 Federal Plaza, but really, since January, is an overall increase in the need for health care advocacy,” Adler said.

An ICE agent stands in front of an American flag in 26 Federal Plaza.Photo by Dean Moses

Dean Moses

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August 28, 2025
Prescription for help: Doctors demand ICE ensure detainees in Lower Manhattan receive required medical care | amNewYork

A group of doctors rallied in front of 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan on Monday afternoon, demanding that ICE provide detained immigrants the medical care they need.

Photo by Dean Moses

A group of doctors rallied in front of 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan on Monday afternoon, demanding that ICE provide detained immigrants the medical care they need.

On July 15, amNewYork observed an ICE detainee appear to suffer a medical episode as he was whisked from his legally mandated court hearing by masked federal agents and into a nearby stairwell. The sound of screaming and coughing echoed down the hallway, and a glimpse of his handcuffed body could be seen through an open door.

According to those in the medical field, this is not uncommon. Doctor Sonni Mun — a physician, immigrant, and American citizen who went through the naturalization process at 26 Federal Plaza — said she has seen medical emergencies like these firsthand.

“I recently started volunteering inside the immigration court. And the first day that I showed up to volunteer as an immigration court observer escort, there was a medical emergency in the lobby, and it was appalling how it was handled,” Mun said.

Mun recalled that she attempted to offer her expertise after a man had fainted, but alleges DHS staff met her with hostility and demanded that she show a medical license while also refusing to call for EMS.

A group of doctors rallied in front of Immigration Court in Lower Manhattan on Monday afternoon with the demand that those in ICE detention receive medical care.Photo by Dean Moses

“I have stepped up on airplanes, at festivals, at road races, at marathons. I’ve never been asked to prove that I’m a doctor,” Mun said. “This is how they treat somebody who’s having a medical emergency in the lobby, this is how they treat other colleagues. How do you think they are treating the immigrants that they have up there?”

Anti-immigrant counterprotesters show up

During the rally that was jointly held by the New York Doctors Coalition, the New York Immigration Coalition, and others, several fringe, anti-immigrant protesters attempted to disrupt the rally by hurling obscenities and attempting to intimidate attendees. Several medical professionals attempted to block the disrupters.

In one instance, Mun stood in defiance, looking up at the hulking figure and refusing to budge.

Meanwhile, another doctor, Steve Auerbach, said that he used to work in 26 Federal Plaza, but since ICE began detaining families attending their legally mandated court hearings, the facility has a very different meaning now.

“It’s all the more painful that now 26 Federal Plaza is being illegally, illegitimately used as one of the many sites around the country to illegally warehouse and harm refugees and immigrants,” Auerbach said. “DHS refused to speak to us, just as they cover themselves up in their masks and they cover up the name tags they know they are doing wrong.”

In one instance, Mun stood in defiance, looking up at the hulking figure and refusing to budge.Photo by Dean Moses

City Comptroller Brad Lander also attended the rally, thanking the physicians for trying to shed light on the most basic of human needs: health care.

“I think we’re really getting down to the most elemental level of it all, which is that human beings are being kept in this building, which is not designed as a facility for anyone to sleep in, and they are being denied even basic medical care. And so I mostly came today just to say thank you to the doctors and health professionals here who took an oath to observe and to take care of people’s health,” Lander said.

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander also attended the rally, thanking the physicians for trying to shed light on the most basic of human needs: health care.Photo by Dean Moses

Dean Moses

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August 18, 2025
ICE in Courts: Hochul condemns ICE detention of mother and 7-year-old daughter from Federal Plaza

People protest ICE at 26 Federal Plaza.

Photo by Lloyd Mitchell

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday issued a strong statement condemning the detention of a 7-year-old child and her mother by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials last week, calling the move “cruel and unjust.”

“I have been clear. Whether under President Biden or Donald Trump, I will work with the federal government to secure our borders and deport violent criminals who pose a real threat. But ripping a mother from her children and detaining her 7-year-old daughter is cruel and unjust,” the governor said.

Hochul’s remarks come after ICE agents arrested a student from P.S. 89 in Queens along with her mother and 19-year-old brother while they attended a required court hearing at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan. It is currently the first known instance of a child this young being taken into custody for reasons pertaining to illegal immigration.

Details about the detention remain scarce, but according to reports, the child and her mother were transferred together to a holding facility in Texas. The woman’s adult son is being held in New Jersey. Reports also say the family comes from Ecuador and came to the United States, escaping domestic violence.

“Instead of preparing her daughter for school, this mother and her daughter have been separated from their family and sent to a facility in Texas,” Hochul said. “My administration has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security, demanding their immediate return to New York.”

The governor called DHS and said she is demanding the family be “immediately” returned to New York. She further urged the DHS to permit elected representatives the opportunity to inspect holding areas where immigrants are being detained; members of Congress have repeatedly been denied entry to locations at Federal Plaza and the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.

Hochul’s team told amNewYork that conversations with ICE “are ongoing.”

amNewYork contacted DHS for comment on how the conversation went and the conditions of the detentions and is awaiting a response.

Meanwhile, other elected officials have echoed the governor’s sentiments, calling for greater transparency from ICE and a reevaluation of their detention practices, particularly concerning families and minors.

“We are in contact with the local school, Department of Education officials, and federal offices to learn more and fight to make sure the family can be reunited. Family separation is horrific, and ICE must stop these cruel tactics,” Queens City7 Council Member Shekar Krishnan said on X on Aug. 16.

Barbara Russo-Lennon

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August 18, 2025