Elected Officials Arrested During ICE Facility Protest in Lower Manhattan

ICE Facility Protest and Arrests

• 🎯 Elected officials, including New York State Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, were arrested during a protest at the ICE holding facility at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan.
• 🗣️ The demonstrators were protesting the treatment of detainees and aimed to verify if ICE agents were complying with a recent federal judge's ruling to improve conditions.
• 🚨 Police arrested a total of 66 people, issuing them summonses, including Williams, City Controller Brad Lander, three state senators, and eight state assembly members.

Federal Judge's Ruling on Facility Conditions

• ⚖️ A US District Court granted a preliminary injunction aimed at improving conditions for detainees at the facility.
• 📏 The order prohibits ICE from detaining individuals in spaces smaller than 50 square feet.
• 🧼 It also requires ICE to enhance access to hygiene products and ensure detainees can make confidential calls to their lawyers within 24 hours.

ICE Response and Facility Lockdown

• 📢 An ICE spokesperson stated that protesters demanded the release of individuals with criminal backgrounds and characterized the action as a stunt.
• ⚠️ ICE also claimed that elected officials do not have access to the 10th-floor holding cells, as they are temporary facilities, not detention centers.
• 🔒 The building was later placed on lockdown due to a bomb threat, according to DHS.

Protesters' Concerns

• 😟 Protesters reported being detained before they could check on conditions on the 10th floor.
• 📣 They expressed concerns about people being scapegoated and communities becoming less safe.