A tense showdown at Manhattan’s 26 Federal Plaza ended with handcuffs, chants, and a political brawl over who gets to see what happens inside an ICE lockup. On Thursday, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and a slate of state lawmakers were among more than 70 people detained after they pushed to inspect the 10th-floor holding cells that have been under fire for alleged overcrowding and grim conditions.
Advocates say the intake area inside the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building has become a black box, where migrants are squeezed into cramped rooms, sleeping on hard surfaces with limited access to basic hygiene. A federal judge recently ordered the Trump administration to improve conditions, and city and state officials arrived Thursday, insisting on oversight. That’s when the arrests started.
Inside the building, nearly a dozen elected officials were taken into custody as they attempted to enter restricted corridors and press for access to the cells. Outside, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and other demonstrators blocked a garage entrance to prevent what they feared would be quiet transfers of detainees out of public view. By day’s end, DHS said 71 people had been arrested, including two state senators and nine Assembly members.
Homeland Security blasted the spectacle as political theater. “Here are the facts,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, accusing Lander of showing up unannounced “with agitators and media,” refusing to leave, and shouting that detainees should be released. Federal Protective Service called in NYPD, and the building later went into lockdown after a bomb threat, officials said.
ICE IS NOT WELCOME HERE#NYvsICE #ICEoutofNY https://t.co/9bKzxVK2a2 pic.twitter.com/cHqhVwJKM5
— Office of the Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams (@nycpa) September 18, 2025
Lander and his allies counter that this isn’t about scoring clicks, it’s about seeing whether a court order is being followed. The comptroller has a recent history with the building—he was detained in June during a separate immigration-court confrontation, and says the public deserves transparency about how migrants are being held in the heart of Lower Manhattan. Videos from Thursday show elected officials calmly demanding entry as supporters chant outside.
The numbers are stark. More than a dozen elected officials were among those arrested, and the total number of detainees for the day climbed past 70, according to federal officials. Other reports said eleven lawmakers were arrested inside the building, while local TV crews captured rows of protesters zip-tied and lined up near police buses. Whatever the exact headcount, it was one of the largest mass arrests of elected officials New York has seen in years.
Outside of 26 Federal Plaza, PSC members and allies from across New York— including elected leaders— are blocking ICE vans to prevent the tranfer of kidnapped immigrants to detention centers and elevate our urgent demands. #NYvsICE #ICEoutofNY pic.twitter.com/xGw0gKRlgG
— PSC/CUNY (@PSC_CUNY) September 18, 2025
The clash is the latest flashpoint in a summer of immigration fights. New York outlets have published footage and firsthand accounts alleging “inhumane” conditions at the Federal Plaza lockup, from windows papered over to doors bound shut, and the judge’s order this month put the onus on ICE to fix it. Thursday’s push by lawmakers was an attempt to verify those fixes; federal officials say security and privacy rules bar walk-throughs on demand.
Politically, both sides got what they wanted, and not in a good way. Republicans seized on DHS’s description of “agitators” endangering personnel, while Democrats pointed to the lockdown and mass arrests as proof that ICE oversight is being stonewalled. With a federal injunction hanging over the facility and New York’s top fiscal officer now a repeat arrestee at the building, expect the next round to play out in court, on the steps of 26 Federal Plaza, and on every campaign stump in the city.
