U.S. District court orders improved conditions at 26 Federal Plaza in NYC
U.S. District court orders improved conditions at 26 Federal Plaza in NYC
00:36
A U.S. District Court has ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to improve conditions for people detained at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan.
Wednesday’s order comes after a judge issued a temporary restraining order calling for better conditions in August.
Specifically, the order bans ICE from holding people in spaces with fewer than 50 square feet per person. The court order also requires ICE to improve access to hygiene products, provide sleeping mats and ensure those who are detained can call their lawyers within 24 hours of entering the facility.
A spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams’ office said in a statement, in part, “We are glad to hear that a federal judge has ordered conditions at 26 Federal Plaza to improve, and we reiterate that this entire city is less safe when immigrants are afraid to use basic services and attend court hearings.”
CBS News New York has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and has not yet heard back.
The holding facility came under fire earlier this summer over accusations people were being held there in unsanitary conditions. Immigration advocates said they heard from detainees who spent up to 20 days there and described poor conditions.
Video verified by CBS News New York and released in July shows conditions on the 10th floor of the building, where a group of men were being held in a room that had no furniture and two toilets behind half walls in the back of the room.
DHS previously said in a statement that Federal Plaza “operates as a processing center, brief intake for illegal aliens” who are then transferred to ICE detention centers. The statement called claims of poor conditions “categorically false.”
More from CBS News