ICE arrests ramp up in NYC immigration court as AG Letitia James fights to stop indefinite detentions

ICE ramped up its arrests at Lower Manhattan immigration court on Sept. 3 as New York Attorney General Letitia James stepped up her battle with the Trump administration seeking to stop the Department of Homeland Security from indefinitely detaining immigrants.

Almost like a conveyor belt, the ICE agents took one person after another into custody on Wednesday at 26 Federal Plaza. One woman was grabbed by the wrist and pulled away while a man was wrestled out of a courtroom as onlookers clasped their mouths in shock. These arrests took place one after another, well into the afternoon.

Over the past several weeks the number of people detained by the Feds as they arrive in Lower Manhattan to face judges dramatically decreased, with some days going by without a single arrest. However, things changed on Wednesday when ICE assembled at 26 Federal Plaza in full force.

Almost like a conveyor belt, the ICE agents took one person after another. One woman was grasped by the wrist and pulled away while a man was wrestled out of a courtroom as onlookers clasped their mouths in shock. These arrests took place one after another, well into the afternoon.Photo by Dean Moses

Almost like a conveyor belt, the ICE agents took one person after another. One woman was grasped by the wrist and pulled away while a man was wrestled out of a courtroom as onlookers clasped their mouths in shock. These arrests took place one after another, well into the afternoon.Photo by Dean Moses

James says the apprehensions could be made even worse with a new DHS policy that, she says, attempts to hold immigrants in federal custody indefinitely.

Under these new rules, the attorney general said, immigrants facing the deportation process would not be permitted to have a bond hearing or have the opportunity to receive a conditional release as their case pends. James called it an attempt to erase due process and the rule of law.

“Our nation was founded on the principle of liberty and justice for all,” Attorney General James said. “DHS is now attempting to rewrite immigration law, erase due process protections, and deny people their most basic constitutional rights. The federal government cannot ignore the law and threaten our nation’s families, communities, and values.”

James says she is teaming up with 19 other attorneys and filing an amicus brief opposing the intent to circumvent due process, arguing that it violates federal statutes and harms families and communities.

A woman is pulled away by ICE.Photo by Dean Moses

In the brief, the coalition charged that the new DHS proposal will have far-reaching consequences on the more than nine million U.S. citizens, including over four million children who live with at least one undocumented family member.

They also pointed to studies that show that the detention of a parent significantly increases the risk of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder in children, and deepens economic instability for entire households.

amNewYork documented one recent ICE arrest in immigration court that saw a father violently ripped from the arms of his wife and three children. The kids were left in tears, with their mother, Cocha, explaining that her two girls and young son were left traumatized.

James says she is urging the court to strike down DHS’ “unlawful” policy.

A man is pulled inot a doorway by IcE.Photo by Dean Moses