Stairwells and elevator banks have become the front lines of immigration control, and compliance does not guarantee protection.
Photo: Nicolo Filippo Rosso
At the immigration courthouse in central Manhattan, armed and masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers wait in hallways and near elevator stops, detaining people immediately after their hearings, regardless of whether the judge has granted them permission to stay pending their hearing.
Many of those detained had fully complied with legal procedures, attended hearings, provided documentation, and had no criminal records.
26 The scenes inside the Federal Plaza courthouse reveal the strain on families navigating the system. Parents stand in long lines with their young children, clutching documents as they wait to see if their children will be allowed into the country. Clergy and community advocates accompany immigration proceedings and often spend time with families who are afraid to leave the courtroom after the hearing.
Turbulent times…Click below to read the full story
• Trump 2.0
• USAID reduction
• Courtroom drama
• Shaking Scientist
Read the full article on the year that changed the world here
As of August 2025, immigration courts had a backlog of approximately 3.4 million cases, of which nearly 2.3 million were asylum claims. As of September 21, 2025, ICE held 59,762 people, over 70% of whom had no criminal record. Many detainees are transferred within hours to remote facilities in Louisiana, Texas or the Midwest.
Events around the courthouse also demonstrate the far-reaching effects of such enforcement. In one incident, a journalist was injured when federal agents pushed him off an escalator while documenting an arrest, sparking concerns from press freedom groups.
Families from countries such as Venezuela, Ecuador and El Salvador described the uncertainties of their daily lives, including partners detained without explanation, children left without caretakers, and years of litigation. Attending court does not guarantee safety. The judge’s ruling will be ignored. Asylum seekers are arbitrarily detained and sent to remote camps without legal representation, often without their families knowing their whereabouts.
At 26 Federal Plaza, federal agents are waiting next to the elevator. It is the only exit that asylum seekers are allowed to use after their hearing. Compliance with legal procedures does not prevent arrest at the door of the courthouse.
Defendants wait in line outside a Manhattan courtroom. Entire families wait in line for hours, often with no idea how long the process will take. As of August 2025, the nation’s immigration courts have a backlog of approximately 3.4 million cases, with more than 260,000 cases pending in New York State.
Father Fabian Arias accompanies immigrants to their hearings every week. On July 22, 2025, Ecuadorian immigrant Johnny P. was detained after his hearing, but was released minutes later.
A man was detained by ICE agents as he left a court hearing at 26 Federal Plaza. Detainees are frequently transferred to facilities in New Jersey, upstate New York, or hundreds of miles away in the South and Midwest.
Transgender woman detained outside court. In February 2025, ICE stopped releasing data on transgender detainees despite reporting requirements. Advocates warn that this increases vulnerability to abuse in custody.
A doctor treats a journalist injured while recording an arrest inside 26 Federal Plaza. Police pushed reporters onto an escalator.
After the hearing, the man is taken through the stairs of 26 Federal Plaza. Footage leaked in mid-2025 showed detainees being held in a makeshift center on the 10th floor of a building, sleeping next to an unsupervised toilet. A federal judge ordered improved conditions after public outcry.
A young man is taken into custody after his hearing. In 2025, fewer than 40 percent of immigrants in deportation proceedings had legal representation. Once detainees were transferred to remote facilities, this rate dropped below 20%.
John, a cellist and music teacher, sings “We Shall Overcome” while being arrested during a Manhattan protest. Artists and citizens are taking action every week following court arrests.
Children of a Salvadoran family look at photos of their mother who has been detained for more than four months. Their grandfather says she is “in prison because we are immigrants.” At the request of his attorney, his identifying details will not be released.
Indira stops while meeting with her lawyer at St. Peter’s Church. While her husband’s asylum case progressed, she and her daughters were ordered deported.
Franieris Milagro Parra Olivarez speaks on the phone outside 26 Federal Plaza after her husband was taken into custody for a hearing. In 2025, more than 400,000 Venezuelan asylum applications were pending nationwide.
Scarless, 10, practices the butterfly technique during a teletherapy session, while her mother, Ana Lucia Guaman Burri, listens next door in her Brooklyn apartment. This method, widely used in trauma therapy, asks the child to cross their arms over their chest and tap their shoulders in an alternating rhythm, similar to the wings of a butterfly. Each tap grounds her body, easing her anxiety and allowing her to distance herself from overwhelming memories.
Jessica Maribel Sapriguicha Espinoza attends prenatal testing in Queens. Weeks before her due date, her husband, Jorge, was detained after a hearing and deported to Ecuador.
Jessica is awaiting the birth of her child in Queens after her husband’s deportation. Her 9-year-old son Dylan, who has autism, receives support in New York that is difficult to access in Ecuador. Families in similar situations are forced to choose between safety and separation. For many respondents, information about why they were detained is not disclosed to their families or even their lawyers until they are transferred to the detention system.
