August 13, 2025
Judge orders ICE to fix inhumane conditions at 26 Federal Plaza holding facility
Court finds deliberate indifference as migrants sleep on concrete without medical care
🛂Immigration✊Civil Rights⚖️Justice
Federal Judge Lewis A. Kaplan ordered ICE on August 12, 2025, to immediately improve 26 Federal Plaza holding facility conditions
Court found serious threat of irreparable harm to detainee safety and health at Manhattan facility
70-90 migrants crammed into 215 square feet, sleeping on concrete floors next to open toilets without privacy
Detainees denied hygiene products (soap, toothbrushes, feminine products), adequate food, and attorney access
ICE must reduce capacity to 50 square feet per person (cutting largest room from 40+ to ~15 people)
Judge ordered cells cleaned three times daily, sleeping mats provided, confidential attorney phone access guaranteed
Lawsuit brought by 
Make the Road New York, NYCLU, and ACLU documented systematic abuse patterns
Preliminary injunction extended restrictions on September 17, 2025, maintaining capacity limits and humanitarian requirements
🛂Immigration✊Civil Rights⚖️Justice
Test Your Knowledge
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Q1
What organization should people contact to volunteer monitoring detention conditions?
Q2
What is the New York Immigration Coalition's phone number for detention monitoring volunteers?
Q3
The conditions at the Manhattan ICE facility are worse than those in maximum security prisons for convicted murderers.
Q4
How long does ICE have to improve conditions or face contempt charges?
Q5
What surface are migrants forced to sleep on at the Manhattan facility?
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Lewis A. Kaplan
US District Judge, Southern District of New York
Make the Road New York
Immigrant rights advocacy organization
New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU)
Civil rights organization
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
National civil rights organization