New York Attorney General Letitia James accused Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of violating the law by holding immigrants at its headquarters in New York City for days in inhumane conditions and asked the Southern District Court for the Southern District of Manhattan to issue an order to put an end to the situation.
The allegation is part of a friend-of-the-court brief filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the lawsuit filed against ICE by a group of immigrants detained at its field office at 26 Federal Plaza building in Manhattan, which houses several federal agencies.
New York prosecutor claims ICE is holding migrants outside the law
U.S. Attorney Letitia James said in a statement that her action seeks to end the illegal treatment of immigrants arrested in New York.
Including those detained after attending immigration court proceedings and routine registration appointments at the local office.
The lawsuit filed by the detainees alleges that ICE violates the law in NY by holding dozens of people in small rooms for days in substandard conditions.
As the immigrants have claimed in their lawsuit, they are crammed into rooms with only one toilet and one sink, and are not provided with beds or sleeping mats.
They also claim that they receive only two meals a day, there are no medical personnel available during the night, and neither family members nor lawyers are allowed to visit.
The prosecutor argued that until June, ICE guidelines limited the use of its field office detention rooms to a maximum of twelve hours.
“But recent reports have revealed that hundreds of people have been held there for days in unsafe and unsanitary conditions.”
He highlighted that among the detainees is a seven-year-old girl who was arrested along with her mother and brother.
The prosecution asked the court to grant the plaintiffs’ motion and issue a preliminary injunction for ICE to comply with the law and improve the “inhumane” conditions of the detainees.
Informes recientes han revelado que cientos de personas han estado retenidas allí durante días en condiciones inseguras e insalubres
Letitia James, fiscal de New York
