A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to immediately overhaul conditions at a Manhattan immigration detention facility after detainees described it as filthy, overcrowded, and lacking basic hygiene supplies.
Judge Lewis A. Kaplan issued a temporary restraining order Tuesday, directing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to reduce capacity, improve cleanliness, and provide sleeping mats in the so-called “hold rooms” at 26 Federal Plaza — a government building that houses immigration court and the FBI’s New York field office.
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The ruling follows a lawsuit filed on behalf of detainees, supported by cellphone footage showing about two dozen men crammed into one room, many lying on bare floors with only thin thermal blankets.
Detainees reported having no soap, toothbrushes, or menstrual products. They said meals consisted of “inedible slop” and described an “overpowering stench” of sweat, urine, and feces — worsened by open toilets inside the rooms. In one instance, women were given just two menstrual pads to share.
Kaplan’s order mandates:
- Space Requirements: At least 50 square feet per detainee, reducing the largest room’s capacity from more than 40 people to about 15.
- Sanitation: Thorough cleaning of cells three times daily.
- Hygiene: Adequate supplies of soap, toothbrushes, and menstrual products.
- Legal Access: Facilities for confidential attorney calls.
“My conclusion here is that there is a very serious threat of continuing irreparable injury, given the conditions that I’ve been told about,” Kaplan said during the hearing.
Government attorney Jeffrey S. Oestericher acknowledged that some complaints were valid, adding, “Inhumane conditions are not appropriate and should not be tolerated.”
The Manhattan facility has become a focal point of President Donald Trump’s intensified immigration crackdown.
