What was once a terrifying sight has become a strange and somewhat normal part of everyday life in Lower Manhattan’s 26 Federal Plaza.
Photo by Dean Moses
Masked, almost unidentifiable federal agents. Nervous immigrants. Traumatized families. This is the new normal in Lower Manhattan immigration court.
ICE raids continued on Wednesday in the halls of 26 Federal Plaza, as masked federal agents apprehended immigrants attending mandated court hearings — a once extraordinary sight now commonplace after three months of such seizure operations.
The masked agents — many of whom wore baseball caps and coverings that made only their eyes visible to the public — stood at the ends of two long corridors on the 12th floor on Wednesday. Their eyes moved carefully as they watched their “targets.” Some agents had their hands rested on their vests, identifying themselves as “POLICE DSS” or “BORDER PATROL FEDERAL AGENT,” waiting for the right moment.
The targets of their operations are men and women who come to Federal Plaza to appear at mandated immigration hearings. It’s not so much the hearings that make them nervous, but what happens to them upon dismissal.
Over the last three months, amNewYork has documented one raid after another showing immigrants being caught in ICE’s clutches after the hearing and rushed into nearby elevators or stairwells, regardless of whether a judge had allowed them to go home moments earlier.
Those who are not in danger — the federal employees at the facility, the attorneys, and court observers — have borne witness to the parade of seizures and tend to traumatized family members moments after seeing their loved ones being taken way like common criminals.
Many who have seen masked-up, gloved-up authorities drag bewildered New Yorkers out of sight have now deemed immigration court — three months later — a farce. They include City Comptroller Brad Lander, who weeks ago was roughly arrested by federal agents at 26 Federal Plaza and detained for hours because of his advocacy work on behalf of an immigrant attending a hearing.
heir eyes followed their “targets,” and their hands rested inside heavily armed vests. Photo by Dean Moses
“Immigration court is fully a farce—it has the trappings of a courthouse but is, in reality, an abduction trap,” Lander told amNewYork. “Each week, I witness ICE conduct more abductions and become increasingly violent.”
Lander said that the seizures at Federal Plaza are part of “the Trump Administration’s mass deportation machine” at has effectively turned “masked federal agents into brownshirts with the authority to send those seeking to remain in the U.S. legally to concentration camps instead.” He called upon the city and state governments to do more to provide legal counsel to immigrants in danger of deportation.
“The City and State governments must disseminate resources for immigrant legal services now, because three months is far too long and thousands of disappeared is far too many,” he added.
Other people also appear to be getting wise to ICE’s cat-and-mouse game. With months of startling imagery showcasing what many have dubbed kidnappings, some say they are too afraid to attend their hearings.
One woman who left Siemietkowski’s courtroom was immediately accosted by masked men and was pulled by her arm into a nearby stairwell. Photo by Dean Moses 
A woman disappears into a stairwell. Photo by Dean Moses
On Aug. 6, Judge John Siemietkowski admonished a woman from Ecuador for appearing at her hearing virtually, stating that she had not been given permission to do so. The woman explained in Spanish that she does not have legal representation and that she was too afraid of ICE to appear in person.
Meanwhile, agents waiting just outside the courtroom were listening in — making light of the women’s predicament by laughing and making hand gestures after she said she was scared of ICE.
“Ma’am, I understand your fear of ICE, but please understand that others with that same fear nonetheless make the responsible choice to come to court,” Judge Siemietkowski told the woman, demanding that she head to court or face deportation.
Still, some of those “responsible” enough to come to court in person did not fare any better.
One woman who left Siemietkowski’s courtroom on Wednesday was immediately accosted by masked agents and pulled by her arm into a nearby stairwell for further questioning. What happened in the stairwell was not known; federal agents had covered the glass on the door with paper to prevent those outside from seeing.
About an hour later, a man was taken into the same corridor when he left the same courtroom.
In all likelihood, these scenes will be repeated in the days and months to come.
man was taken into the same corridor when he left the same courtroom. Photo by Dean Moses 
man was taken into the same corridor when he left the same courtroom. Photo by Dean Moses