New York Democratic Reps. Nydia Velázquez and Adriano Espaillat are calling on the Department of Homeland Security to investigate a New York City facility that’s become pivotal in the Trump administration’s immigration agenda.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has received increased public scrutiny in recent weeks over its treatment of immigrants who are detained at 26 Federal Plaza. In video footage and a voice memo published this week by The City, a person who was held in the tenth floor facility said they did not receive food or medicine, and added in Spanish that authorities are treating detainees “like dogs.”
“The use of 26 Federal Plaza as a detention center, without proper transparency, oversight, or compliance with DHS regulations, is unacceptable and must be addressed with urgency,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter this week to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
The House Democrats’ call for an investigation — and for DHS to stop using 26 Federal Plaza as a detention site — comes after Velázquez and Espaillat (who is the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus) were denied access to the facility over two visits in June and July.
There’s growing pressure for more oversight. Mayor Eric Adams is among those who are now calling on the federal government to inspect the facility.
Democratic lawmakers have been incensed for weeks that they’ve been kept from oversight visits, despite legal guidelines that require immigration authorities to allow unannounced oversight visits by members of Congress.
The New York City facility is listed as an ICE field office on DHS’ website. DHS officials have argued that the building is not subject to oversight guidelines because it is a processing center rather than a detention facility. ICE issued updated guidance in June stating that field offices “fall outside” the legal framework requiring immigration authorities to grant access to lawmakers making unannounced oversight visits, but that guidance is no longer available on the agency’s website.
Other New York House Democrats, some of whom have also been denied oversight visits at 26 Federal Plaza, previously wrote to Noem and other DHS officials, calling on the department to allow access to field offices.
In a letter written after Reps. Dan Goldman and Jerry Nadler were denied an oversight visit in June, eight of New York City’s members of Congress said that an ICE official admitted to Goldman and Nadler that 26 Federal Plaza was used to house detainees.
Velázquez and Espaillat’s letter calls on Noem to provide a detailed report to Congress by Aug. 6 about how 26 Federal Plaza is being used to detain people, though they have little power to force the administration to turn over information given that they are in the minority party. The lawmakers also said in the letter that DHS officials should ensure that anyone in ICE custody in the building receives “immediate access to legal representation, medical care, and humane treatment.”
“The use of a federal office building as a detention facility without notice to the public or Congress is unacceptable and undermines public trust in DHS and ICE,” the letter said. “DHS has a legal and moral obligation to ensure that individuals in its custody are treated with dignity, humanity, and fairness.”
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This story was produced as part of a partnership between NOTUS and The City.