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yesterday

Fourteen Held in Federal Plaza Sit-In as Protesters Demand Access to ICE Facility

Repeated refusals to grant lawmakers or faith leaders entry have fueled demands for independent federal oversight.

NYPD SRG officers arrest activists blocking Broadway outside the Jacob K. Javits Federal Office Building Friday, Aug. 8, 2025 in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams/ New York Daily News)
Immigrants' rights advocates blocked traffic outside 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan on Friday. They decried tactics used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and alleged woeful conditions in temporary holding for immigrants being used by ICE.
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Overview

  • On August 8, NYPD officers arrested 14 demonstrators for blocking the intersection near 26 Federal Plaza during a sit-in pressing for an unfettered inspection of the site’s tenth floor.
  • Protesters argue that migrants are being covertly detained on the tenth floor in overcrowded, furniture-free rooms without proper sanitary facilities or legal counsel access, citing video released in July.
  • DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin maintains the location serves only as a processing center where individuals receive meals, medical care and opportunities to contact family and lawyers before transfer.
  • Requests by Representatives Dan Goldman and Jerry Nadler, as well as faith leaders seeking to meet detainees, have been repeatedly denied by federal authorities.
  • The protest highlights a broader national surge in ICE enforcement and expanded detention capacity since June, spurring immigrant advocates to call for greater transparency and oversight.