They denounce the unworthy treatment that dozens of immigrants receive in a government property located in NY
Outrage over the treatment received by immigrants detained by ICE in a building located in Manhattan
With the support of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), Make the Road NY and Wang Hecker LLP, a group of human rights advocates of the immigrants sued the Trump administration for lack of access to legal assistance and for the allegedly unsafe conditions that prevail in a federal building located in downtown Manhattan, which is used to confine dozens of foreigners without legal status.
The plaintiff class claims that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) prohibits detained individuals from having any legal or family visits, communicating via telephone or video, and exchanging documents to which they would be entitled.
Furthermore, in their complaint they indicate that, at 26 Federal Plaza, there are no beds, showers, or adequate medical care, so people must sleep on the floor and only have access to a small ration of food twice a day.
Other One of the points raised in the lawsuit is the long period of detention to which they are subjected. Even though they are only supposed to remain for a few hours in the approximately 215 square foot facility, the detainees' stay sometimes extends to more than a week, and they are forced to live crammed together with 70 to 90 other people. Eunice Cho, senior legal counsel for the ACLU's National Prison Project, argues that authorities are exceeding their powers. ICE is denying people their constitutional rights to due process and legal representation in order to further its dehumanizing campaign against our immigrant neighbors and loved ones, many of whom were arrested at immigration court hearings or during routine immigration checkpoints. immigration," he said.
For his part, Harold Solís, legal co-director of Make the Road New York, joins in the demonstrations of repudiation towards the government's actions.
ICE™s detention of individuals at 26 Federal Plaza is deeply disturbing, well-documented, and unlawful. This cruel detention policy is immoral and inhumane, she emphasized.
Taking a similar stance, Donna Lieberman, executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, finds no reason to justify the abuse faced by detained immigrants.
No one should have to endure such abuse, least of all immigrants who have not been charged with a crime. "These cruel and illegal practices violate immigrants' rights to due process and basic human dignity," he said.