Detainees in Lower Manhattan ICE Facility Report Overcrowding, Medical Neglect: 'They're Killing Us'

Immigrants held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holding rooms at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan are reporting overcrowded conditions, limited access to food and hygiene, and prolonged detentions in cells not intended for overnight stays, according to a new report.

Multiple detainees and attorneys say people are being kept in cramped, guarded rooms on the 10th floor of the federal building for days, sometimes up to 10. Many report sleeping on floors or benches, receiving only one or two meals a day, and lacking access to showers, clean clothes, or medical care.

"There's no room to sit down—standing room only," said Rebecca Rubin, an attorney with the New York Legal Assistance Group to Gothamist. In a lawsuit filed earlier this month, lawyers described 20-year-old Joselyn Chipantiza-Sisalema sleeping on the floor, wearing the same clothes for days, and having limited contact with her family or legal counsel. She was later transferred to another facility.

Another detainee , Derlis Chusin Toaquiza, 19, spent two days in a room with over 60 people. "The room was so crowded that he could not lie down," according to his court filing. Former detainee Enrique, 52, said he spent six days in the facility and witnessed the population inside swell to around 100. "We were on top of each other," he told Gothamist.

ICE has stated that 26 Federal Plaza is a "processing center," not a detention facility. "It is a Federal building with an ICE law enforcement office inside of it," said Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin through a statement to Gothamist. But lawmakers, including Reps. Dan Goldman and Jerry Nadler, say this classification is being used to deny oversight visits. "That is not what this country's about," Goldman said.

Concerns at the Lower Manhattan facility echo broader issues identified in a recent New York Times investigation, which found that ICE detention centers across the country are experiencing overcrowding, lack of medical care, and use of temporary sites for long-term confinement.

"These are the worst conditions I have seen in my 20-year career," said Paul Chavez of Americans for Immigrant Justice to The Times. Detainees in other states reported sleeping on floors, going days without showers, and receiving inadequate meals or medical attention.

ICE currently detains nearly 58,000 people, far exceeding its official capacity of 41,000. A recent funding package signed by President Trump allocates $45 billion for expanding detention capacity to 116,000 beds.