A routine morning at Manhattan’s immigration court exploded into chaos Tuesday when masked ICE agents were filmed shoving photojournalists inside 26 Federal Plaza, leaving one reporter hospitalized and igniting a fresh fight over press freedoms at federal facilities. Video from the 12th floor shows a veteran photojournalist sprawled on the hallway tile as bystanders check his pulse and fit a neck brace before paramedics stretcher him out, according to local outlets and eyewitness clips posted online.
The injured journalist was identified by colleagues as L. Vural Elibol of Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency. He appeared to strike the back of his head after being forced to the ground near an elevator bank, reporters on the scene said. Another freelancer was also shoved in a separate scuffle moments later, sending a second photographer tumbling, as ICE officers tried to push cameras away from an enforcement action underway inside the building.
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander blasted the scene on X as “another violent attack by an ICE officer on a civilian,” noting that Elibol had to be carried out on a stretcher. The FDNY confirmed a person was transported to a hospital around 10:30 a.m.; his condition was not immediately released. Footage reviewed by local stations shows medical personnel checking the photographer’s vitals as uniformed officers ring the scene.
It’s the second explosive confrontation at 26 Federal Plaza in less than a week, and it follows a viral incident in the same corridors where an ICE officer was caught on video violently shoving an immigrant woman to the ground while detaining her husband. DHS condemned that conduct as “unacceptable” and relieved the agent of duty pending investigation. Tuesday’s clash, this time involving credentialed press on assignment, will intensify scrutiny on ICE’s tactics at the heavily trafficked court complex.
Local media reported that multiple journalists were shoved during the chaos, with Elibol suffering the most serious injury. In images from the scene, a nurse tends to the photographer before EMTs arrive. Reporters said agents barked orders to clear the hall as elevators opened and detainees were moved, leading to a crush that spilled into cameras and tripods. ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the use of force or whether any internal review has been opened.
Federal Plaza has become a flashpoint for immigration enforcement under the current administration, with arrests in and around court dates fueling protests and tense standoffs. After last week’s shove incident, DHS vowed accountability; city leaders now want criminal charges in the earlier case and answers for Tuesday’s press injuries. At minimum, advocates argue, agents should be retrained on First Amendment protections and crowd management in confined spaces.
By midday, the hallway scuffle was spreading across social platforms and local broadcasts, turning a bureaucratic building into the latest stage for America’s fight over immigration and the free press. As Elibol received treatment at a nearby hospital, journalists compared notes on a morning that went from routine to dangerous in seconds, and lawyers began collecting affidavits. In a courthouse where stories of violence are frequent, the reporters became the story, and ICE’s push to keep cameras at arm’s length may now face its own day in court.
