A group of 11 elected officials in New York—including NYC Comptroller Brad Lander and several state lawmakers—were arrested inside a Manhattan ICE facility on Thursday. The Democratic officials were placed in plastic zip-tie cuffs after trying to inspect holding cells run by ICE at 26 Federal Plaza, the New York Times reports. The officials demanded access to the 10th-floor cells, which have been under fire for allegedly unsanitary and overcrowded conditions. ICE turned them away, and after a tense hour-long standoff featuring sit-ins and chanting, Homeland Security officers arrested the group for blocking hallways.
Outside the building, other Democratic officials joined around 40 protesters blocking ICE garage doors, with Public Advocate Jumaane Williams among those arrested. In total, authorities say 71 people were taken into custody during the coordinated protests. Protest organizers said Lander, three state senators, and seven state assembly members entered the building to "conduct oversight," Reuters reports. The Times reports that federal agents duct-taped cracks that could be seen through as the officials knocked on the door leading to the cells. "If the law is being followed, you should let us observe," said assembly member Robert Carroll. "If there is nothing to hide, why wouldn't you let us observe?"
On Wednesday, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction ordering ICE to continue improving conditions at the facility to protect detainees from possible "unconstitutional and inhumane treatment." Detainees and advocates have complained about people being held for days or weeks in cramped, bare-bones holding cells—forced to sleep on concrete, use toilets without privacy, and denied basics like proper meals or access to lawyers.
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While members of Congress can legally inspect such facilities, local and state lawmakers do not have the same authority, and ICE has rebuffed even federal representatives. Homeland Security criticized Thursday's protests as political grandstanding, but the officials involved say they were simply trying to ensure the law is followed and detainees' rights respected. Recent months have seen 26 Federal Plaza become a flashpoint for both protests and ICE enforcement. The federal building doubles as an immigration court and a regular site for arrests of migrants appearing for routine appointments. Lander was arrested in June as he escorted a man from the court.
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