In final ruling against ICE, judge blasts ‘dreadful’ and ‘squalid’ conditions at 26 Federal Plaza

U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan issued a 127-page permanent injunction Thursday against ICE over conditions at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan, describing detainee treatment as 'dreadful' and 'squalid.' Trial evidence showed detainees packed far beyond capacity, sleeping upright or next to toilets, with internal ICE emails describing repeated outbreaks including monkeypox and tuberculosis.

Kaplan's earlier order had capped occupancy at one detainee per 50 square feet and required clean bedding, hygiene supplies, and attorney phone access within a day; his new permanent order adds pillows, dimmed nighttime lighting, medical screenings, and calls within one hour of detention. He wrote that ICE complied 'only when convenient' and had deprived detainees of sleep, sanitation, food, water, and legal access to 'inflict punishment' and induce self-deportation.

The order grants class certification to all current and future detainees at the facility. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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