New York City Comptroller Brad Lander says routine immigration hearings at 26 Federal Plaza have evolved into what he calls an "abduction trap," alleging that masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are detaining immigrants immediately after they appear before judges.
In an opinion essay published by MSNBC, Lander wrote that the Manhattan building, long home to immigration courts, "isn't functioning as a courthouse. It's functioning as an abduction trap. And as an inhumane de facto jail." He said he has visited the facility "more than a dozen times" and has been arrested twice attempting to escort migrants or inspect holding cells.
