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U.S. Judge Issues Permanent Injunction Against “Dreadful” Manhattan ICE Jail

HeadlineSep 28, 2026
Image Credit: New York Immigration Coalition

A federal judge in New York has issued a permanent injunction condemning the “dreadful” treatment of immigrants detained at the ICE jail at 26 Federal Plaza. The order prohibits ICE from indefinitely detaining people in overcrowded holding cells, saying detainees often had to sleep standing. It also requires ICE to provide adequate medical care, sanitation and hygiene, proper meals, as well as free and unmonitored phone calls to lawyers and access to counsel. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan said in the ruling ICE imposed inhumane conditions “to inflict punishment on detainees and induce them to self-deport.” This comes as ICE arrests soared to record highs this summer with more than 50,000 immigrants detained in August alone. Meanwhile, Amnesty International has called on ICE to be abolished amid widespread human rights violations.

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