'Suspicious' white powder found at 26 Federal Plaza, where ICE has processing center
26 Federal Plaza is the same building used, in part, as a 'processing center' for ICE
MANHATTAN, New York (WABC) -- Police evacuated 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan after envelopes containing white powder were discovered on Thursday, according to officials.
26 Federal Plaza is the New York headquarters of federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, Homeland Security and ICE.
Police responded to the building, the same one being used, in part, as an ICE "processing center" for detainees, around 3:40 p.m.
Five letters containing an unknown white powder were found on the ninth floor in the mail room of Enforcement and Removal Operations, according to FBI Assistant Director Christopher Raia of the New York Field.
"This is what we train for, that's why today's event was under control almost immediately without incident," NYC Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry said.
He says two people were initially exposed to the powders, and the hazmat team immediately responded.
Officials say the building was evacuated as standard protocol and "no threat remains to any employees or the public at this time."
Mayor Eric Adams says he's been briefed on the situation and said that there are no known injuries.
The FDNY along with EMS, Department of Environmental Protection and New York City Office of Emergency Management all responded to the scene to ensure the safety of everyone inside and outside, according to Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry. He says the city is working with federal partners, including the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and ICE.
The FBI says the letters will be sent to a lab for additional testing to determine what substance was in the envelopes.
The building has come under intense scrutiny in recent months as the Trump Administration has ramped up deportations of undocumented immigrants, many of whom were following legal processes like showing up for scheduled hearings only to be scooped up, detained and ultimately shipped out of the country.
Just this week, a federal judge ordered the agency to improve conditions for detained immigrants after the surfacing of videos obtained by ABC News.
When the letters were discovered on Thursday, officials told Eyewitness News ICE relocated all of its detainees to a facility in Newark.
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