ICE operates holding cells inside 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan. A class-action lawsuit exposed dire conditions and a previously undisclosed detention floor. Trial set for May 26, 2026.

Conditions and Legal Action

• People detained for days and weeks without showers, medication, or change of clothes
• Sleeping on the floor with minimal food and outside contact
• Make the Road New York filed class action (August 2025) on behalf of all current and future detainees
• Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered immediate improvements: meals, sanitary products, clean bed mats, confidential attorney calls

Secret 9th Floor

• In February 2026, Trump administration attorneys admitted in court that ICE had been detaining migrants on a separate, previously undisclosed 9th floor where they claimed the judge’s order did not apply
• Four additional holding rooms on 9th floor never publicly acknowledged by ICE
• Rep. Dan Goldman visited the facility in February 2026

Trial

• May 26, 2026: Full trial before Judge Lewis Kaplan
• Plaintiffs allege First Amendment violations (no attorney access) and Fifth Amendment violations (punitive conditions without due process)
• Judge previously slammed ICE for “stalling” the case

Sources

• THE CITY: ICE to face trial over conditions (Mar 2026)
• THE CITY: ICE moved detainees to secret floor (Feb 2026)
• THE CITY: Judge slams overcrowding (Sep 2025)
• ACLU: Court order on abusive conditions
• Courthouse News: Judge slams ICE for stalling
• NYIC: Video of inhumane conditions (Jul 2025)