Masked ICE agents continued apprehending immigrants attending mandated court hearings at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan, though arrests recently appeared far fewer than months prior. On Aug. 20, observers saw agents detain a man as he left a courtroom while a masked agent blocked cameras. City Comptroller Brad Lander has witnessed multiple arrests and was arrested in July while advocating for an immigrant. Observers reported two to three arrests per day last week. A temporary restraining order barring ICE from holding detainees in cramped, unhygienic conditions on the Federal Plaza 10th floor may have reduced detentions. A secretly recorded July video showed detainees sleeping on the ground in dirty clothes near a shared, non-private toilet.
Speculating as to the reason why the number has declined, Lander reasoned that it could be the result of a temporary restraining order barring ICE from holding detainees in cramped and unhygienic conditions on the 10th floor of the Federal Plaza building. The conditions came to light through a video secretly recorded in July showing 10th-floor detainees within cramped conditions, with people sleeping on the ground in dirty, unwashed clothes. The video further showed the people located near a shared toilet with no privacy.
Lander hopes that the numerous legal actions are starting to make a difference. That may be because the temporary restraining order for fewer people on the 10th floor is working, and DHS is complying with the federal court order and therefore reducing the number of people in detention. And if so, that's a good sign, because there are so many times when the rule of law is not applied in these buildings, and we need the rule of law to apply, Land
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