Last week, a mother and her two children were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a routine immigration check-in at 26 Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan. The family, which included an adult son and a 7-year-old daughter, was taken into custody on the spot.
Governor Kathy Hochul responded to the incident with a statement: “Last week, a mother went to 26 Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan for a routine immigration check-in with her adult son and 7-year-old daughter. ICE agents detained all three of them on the spot. I have been clear: whether under President Biden or Donald Trump, I will work with the federal government to secure our borders and deport violent criminals who pose a real threat. But ripping a mother from her children and detaining her 7-year-old daughter is cruel and unjust. It does not make anyone in New York or across the country safer. Instead of preparing her daughter for school, this mother and her daughter have been separated from their family and sent to a facility in Texas. My Administration has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security demanding their immediate return to New York.”
Governor Hochul further criticized conditions at the detention center where the family was held: “This is not the first cruel and unjust act at 26 Federal Plaza, and I join New Yorkers in demanding better conditions at this detention center. The Department of Homeland Security must open the doors to New York’s congressional members so they can conduct oversight and ensure the welfare of everyone inside. President Trump promised only to target the ‘worst of the worst,’ but ICE continues to target families, students and those contributing to society. With less than half of immigration arrests by ICE involving someone with a conviction or criminal history, it is long past time they focus on removing violent criminals, as they promised — and stop terrorizing children.”
She concluded: “If a 7-year-old is who President Trump considers the ‘worst of the worst,’ then the promise was a lie from the start.”
The governor’s remarks highlight ongoing concerns about federal immigration enforcement practices in New York City facilities.
