Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday he would “look into” conditions at 26 Federal Plaza after advocacy groups and local pols complained of “inhumane treatment” at the ICE facility.
Videos released by the New York Immigration Coalition Tuesday showed a crowded holding cell at the federal immigration offices in Lower Manhattan, with over a dozen asylum seekers using thermal blankets as makeshift beds.
“We’re going to look into it. It was brought to our attention yesterday and I spoke with the chief of staff and the team to find out exactly what’s going on there based on the videos that were presented,” the mayor said at an unrelated news conference.
The NYIC alleges that people being held are going “days and week at a time” without showers, medication and only receiving minimal food.
“The conditions on the 10th floor of 26 Federal Plaza are a blatant violation of human rights and due process, and I was deeply alarmed by recently uncovered video footage showing immigrants detained by ICE forced to sleep on filthy floors, share a single bathroom among nearly 30 people, and endure inhumane treatment,” said Rep. Adriano Espaillat in a statement accompanying the NYIC press release.
The mayor, when initially asked about the footage on Tuesday, said his hands were tied because the city might not have oversight of the facility. He responded to questions from a reporter by asking, “Do you realize that’s a federal building?”
Lefty pols like Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Comptroller Brad Lander are calling on the city’s Buildings and Fire departments to inspect conditions in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement building, according to The City.
While the DOB told the outlet that its inspectors don’t have authority to inspect federal buildings, the department did check on an elevator-related complaint there last year.
DOB spokesperson Andrew Rudansky said he was unsure why that inspection, which did not result in a violation being issued, was conducted last year.
Williams and Lander maintain that the city still does have authority to inspect the federal building, firing off a letter to the commissioners of the DOB and FDNY.
“Given the clear risk that conditions on the 10th floor may pose a danger to human life and be in violation of City zoning, buildings, and fire codes, DOB and FDNY must urgently apply their authority here to ensure compliance with the law and protect the public,” their letter reads.
Advocates claim the building is being used more like a detention facility than a “processing center,” which is what the feds describe it as.
If the facility was classified as a detention center, members of congress would have legal authority to inspect it under a 2019 law. Lawmakers, including New York Reps. Dan Goldman and Jerry Nadler, have tried to get access to the facility and been turned away several times in recent weeks.
“26 Federal Plaza is not a detention center. It is a processing center where illegal aliens are briefly processed to be transferred to an ICE detention facility,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
“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.”
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