AG James took action to stop the illegal treatment of immigrants arrested in New York, including those arrested after attending immigration court proceedings and routine check-in appointments at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) New York field office at 26 Federal Plaza in downtown Manhattan. In an amicus brief filed in a case brought by detainees held at 26 Federal Plaza, Attorney General James argues that ICE has violated the law by holding immigrants at the field office for days in inhumane conditions. Until June, ICE guidelines limited the use of field office holding rooms for detentions to a maximum of 12 hours, but now, recent reporting has revealed that hundreds of people have been held there for days at a time in unsafe and unsanitary conditions. Attorney General James is asking the court to grant the plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction to stop the inhumane conditions at 26 Federal Plaza.

“The abhorrent treatment of immigrants at 26 Federal Plaza is illegal and it must stop. No one should be held in horrendous conditions for days in unfit and unsafe facilities. I am urging the court to order the federal government to follow the law and improve conditions for anyone detained there.”