NYC elected officials shed new light on immigration court hearings, detentions at Federal Plaza
LOWER MANHATTAN, New York (WABC) -- New York City elected leaders took their fight to immigration court on Tuesday, shedding light on how migrants are being treated at a detention center in Lower Manhattan.
On Tuesday morning, yet another family entered immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, and only partly emerged.
"We have a woman here who doesn't know what happened to her partner, a little girl who's waiting for her father, likely detained," said Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. "These are human beings."
Williams, Comptroller Brad Lander, Rep. Dan Goldman and faith leaders witnessed immigration proceedings Tuesday morning at 26 Federal Plaza. They were fighting for a family, and all others they say are being detained illegally.
They say some asylum seekers are taken to a 10th floor detention area inside the building, and are subjected to horrific conditions.
Congressman Goldman says two migrants were placed in overcrowded rooms with no showers, very little food and water and weren't allowed to tell their families where they are.
The officials say the courts are illegally being used to round up migrants.
Goldman says the Trump administration is preventing members of Congress from performing their oversight duties when it comes to these facilities.
"This is an emergency for our Democracy," Lander said. "If you get a court date that the judge tells you you're supposed to show up for, but masked and uniformed federal agents disappear you? That's an authoritarian regime."
They are calling on ordinary citizens to come to the immigration courts and bear witness.
"If you want to see the place where our Democracy is converting into authoritarianism, that's what's happening at 290 Broadway and 26 Federal Plaza," Lander said.
Meanwhile, a 6-year-old girl's drawing was done while she waited, expectantly for both her parents, here from Honduras with asylum status for over a year, to leave court, but one never came out.
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