BREAKING: Eleven Democratic Elected Officials Arrested by DHS at Manhattan Federal Building in Bold Stand Against ICE Detention Practices

New York City – September 18, 2025  In a dramatic escalation of tensions between local leaders and federal immigration authorities, eleven Democratic elected officials from New York City and state were arrested Thursday afternoon by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers inside the federal building at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan. The arrests followed a persistent demand by the group to inspect holding rooms operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on the building's 10th floor, where immigrants have reportedly been detained in overcrowded and inhumane conditions amid the Trump administration's aggressive deportation push.

The incident unfolded around 3 p.m., as the officials—joined by immigrant rights organizers—gathered to highlight what they described as ICE's secretive and unlawful operations at the site. According to eyewitness accounts and statements from participants, the group refused to vacate the premises after being denied entry, leading to a standoff that lasted over an hour.

DHS officers eventually intervened, zip-tying the officials and escorting them out of the building amid chants of "NYers against ICE" and the unfurling of protest banners.Among those taken into custody were prominent figures including New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, and several state lawmakers such as Assemblymember Catalina Cruz, State Senator Julia Salazar, City Council members Sandy Nurse and Tiffany Cabán.

Federal lawmakers involved in prior oversight attempts, including U.S. Reps. Adriano Espaillat, Nydia Velázquez, Jerry Nadler, and Dan Goldman, were also present or referenced in the confrontation, though their direct arrests were not immediately confirmed in all reports. The officials were charged with "unreasonably obstructing the usual use of entrances" and released individually within an hour, with court dates set for November in Manhattan federal court.

"This afternoon I faced arrest alongside dozens of New Yorkers in a nonviolent civil disobedience to demand oversight of ICE’s inhumane detention practices," Williams said in a statement following his release. "We can never allow this to become normal, we can never allow ourselves to look away from the horror being inflicted on our neighbors, and we have to use every tool available to fight it—including our own bodies, privilege, and freedom."

The arrests mark the latest flashpoint in an ongoing battle over access to the 10th-floor holding area at 26 Federal Plaza, a 41-story federal hub that houses immigration courts and has become a focal point for ICE's enforcement actions since May 2025. Reports from detainees, attorneys, and leaked videos have painted a grim picture of the facility: dozens of immigrants—sometimes including families and children—held for days in fluorescent-lit rooms with limited toilets, no showers, irregular meals, and inadequate medical care.

One smuggled video from July, shared by the New York Immigration Coalition, showed men packed into a cell, some sleeping on the floor under emergency blankets, with one detainee lamenting, "Like dogs in here."ICE and DHS have repeatedly classified the space as a "processing center" rather than a full detention facility, arguing it falls outside congressional oversight provisions in the 2024 appropriations law that allow unannounced inspections.

However, critics, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, contend this is a semantic dodge to evade accountability. In a recent amicus brief, James accused ICE of violating the law by holding people for extended periods in "unsafe and unsanitary conditions," including a case involving a seven-year-old child arrested with her family.

This is not the first clash at the site. In June, Lander was briefly detained by masked ICE agents while attempting to escort a migrant out of court, an incident that drew widespread condemnation as an "abuse of power." Congressional delegations, including Velázquez and Espaillat, have been turned away multiple times, prompting a June 20 letter from seven U.S. Reps. demanding DHS reverse its policy. "What are you hiding?" the letter asked, citing reports of migrants sleeping on floors and denied access to food or medicine.The broader context is the Trump administration's "mass deportation" agenda, which has led to a 31% spike in ICE detentions nationwide since January, with over 51,000 people in custody as of June.

In New York, agents have targeted immigrants at routine court appearances and check-ins, often in plainclothes and masks, separating families and disrupting communities. Advocates like the ACLU have decried the arrests as "authoritarian" intimidation, while DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin defended the actions, stating that field offices like 26 Federal Plaza are not detention centers and that reports of poor conditions are "categorically false."

Outside the building, a separate group of about 40 protesters, including additional officials, blocked the garage used for ICE vans, leading to further arrests by the New York Police Department. The coordinated protests, organized by the Democratic Party's progressive wing, underscore growing resistance in immigrant-heavy cities like New York to federal enforcement tactics.

As the officials were released, supporters rallied outside, vowing to continue the fight. "The American Dream should not be a nightmare," said Assemblymember Cruz. DHS has not yet commented on the arrests, but the incident is likely to fuel legal challenges and political backlash, testing the boundaries of oversight in an era of heightened immigration enforcement.

This story is developing

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