"Larysa Kostak was at a routine court hearing when three masked officers grabbed her, put her in shackles, and dropped her in a crowded holding room at 26 Federal Plaza, New York City's immigration court. She was so frightened, she couldn't remember her husband's phone number to call for help. "That moment, my life stopped and split before and after," the Brooklyn resident of 20 years told PIX11 News."
"Kostak was held for seven days in one of the building's widely-criticized holding rooms, then transferred 1,000 miles away to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Louisiana. Her story has become all too common as federal agents crawl the hallways of 26 Federal Plaza, constantly and often violently cuffing immigrants who've shown up for court, according to advocates who say the Trump administration is acting unlawfully."
"Kostak was excited to see her case move forward when she arrived at immigration court that day in June. She was detained before having a full hearing to determine the merit of her asylum application from Ukraine, according to one of Kostak's lawyers, Sarah Gillman. At 26 Federal Plaza, immigrants are "sitting ducks," said Gillman, who is the director of strategic U.S. litigation at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. Inside small courtrooms, asylum-seekers attempt to communicate with judges through virtual translators, many without legal representation."
Kostak was taken from a routine immigration court hearing in New York after masked officers handcuffed her and placed her in a crowded holding room at 26 Federal Plaza. She spent seven days in those holding rooms before being transferred about 1,000 miles to an ICE detention center in Louisiana. After three months she reunited with her husband and son, but federal authorities are attempting to detain her again. Advocates report that agents routinely arrest immigrants at 26 Federal Plaza, often using force, and that many asylum-seekers face hearings without full representation or reliable translation.
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