Amid ongoing outrage over Tuesday’s Canal Street ICE raid, masked agents seemed to take on a new approach at nearby 26 Federal Plaza last week: Rounding up several families at a time and taking them into custody for questioning.
Photo by Dean Moses
Amid ongoing outrage over Tuesday’s Canal Street ICE raid, masked agents seemed to take on a new approach at nearby 26 Federal Plaza last week: Rounding up several families at a time and taking them into custody for questioning.
In the days following Tuesday’s chaotic and violent takedown in Chinatown, the sense of fear and despair inside Lower Manhattan’s immigration court only grew more palpable.
According to sources familiar with ICE agent proceedings inside 26 Federal Plaza, the masked agents’ tactics have changed. In an attempt to shift media attention, the masked men are altering the way they make detentions by trading in physicality for stealthy procedure.
As amNewYork observed last week, a Russian man, accompanied by his wife, baby, and small child, was stopped as soon as he left a courtroom on the 12th floor, only to be released.
“Did you think we were going to do that? We wouldn’t do that,” one ICE agent remarked, referring to detaining the family. Yet, they were stopped again just a few steps away by another agent, who said, “We need to ask you some questions.”
Without touching them, the family was ushered into an elevator. Their fate is not currently known.
“Did you think we were going to do that? We wouldn’t do that,” one ICE agent remarked, referring to detaining the family. Yet, mere feet away they were stopped again and this an agent said: “We need to ask you some questions.” Without placing hands on them, the family were ushered into an elevator. Their fate is not currently known.Photo by Dean Moses
A similar incident took place mere minutes later. This time, a father holding a young girl and his wife were escorted into an elevator. When photojournalists began snapping photos of the detainment, one fed began waving his hand in front of the cameras.
That same day, a woman waiting for an elevator was approached by a group of federal officers and rifled through her paperwork. Deciding she was not the person they were looking for, they left her alone — but not without doing their damage. The sheer fear of the interaction left her breaking down into tears.
At other times, some of the masked men could be seen slipping into the elevators as immigrants entered, disappearing behind the closing doors with them.
This change in strategy comes after months of intense and physical arrests that have seen some court attendees wrestled to the ground and others carried through the hallways and out of sight.
A court observer who identified himself as Peter, who works to try and track those detained by ICE, says this new practice of taking entire families is extremely concerning.
A woman is left in tears after being questioned by ICE.Photo by Dean Moses 
In response on Thursday Congressman Dan Goldman paid a surprise visit to immigration court during which he faced down several masked men, demanding to see their badges and which organization they worked for.Photo by Dean Moses
“Detaining entire families, even temporarily, represents a serious escalation of tactics. With family separations on the floor, while tragic, the benefit is that proper aid and counsel can be rendered to the remaining family immediately,” Peter said. “When a family simply disappears into the ether of the federal plaza, they are left with none of the resources that are crucial for supporting a family post-detention. Perhaps that is the goal of this new practice.”
In response, US Rep. Dan Goldman paid a surprise visit on Oct. 23 to immigration court, during which he faced down several masked men, demanding to see their badges and which organization they worked for.
In this instance, about a dozen of them were posted outside a courtroom waiting for the judge to release his respondents. Just after noon, a large group of individuals, mainly families, poured out of the courtroom and into the hallway.
A young father cradling a child was stopped in his tracks, resulting in his wife pushing through the crowd and screaming for mercy. Press photographers and the congressman watched on eagerly.
Finally, the agents let him go, and the families stampeded for the elevators. They pounded on the down button and pushed and climbed over one another to make it into the elevator car as if their lives depended on it.
Peter, the court observer, told amNewYork that he believes it is thanks to both the press and Congress Member Goldman that the man was released.
On Friday, politicians looked to keep the pressure up, this time with City Comptroller Brad Lander making a surprise appearance.
A young father cradling a child was stopped in his tracks, resulting in his wife pushing through the crowd and screaming for mercy. The seconds passed by like minutes as press photographers and the congressman watched on eagerly.Photo by Dean Moses 
the families stampeded for the elevators. They pounded on the down button and pushed and climbed over one another to make it into the elevator car as if their lives depended on it.Photo by Dean Moses