The anger and fear inside the immigration court in Lower Manhattan on Monday were palpable as masked ICE agents were spotted lurking in the hallways and rifling through names on court dockets.
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\nThe anger and fear inside the immigration court in Lower Manhattan on Monday were palpable as masked ICE agents were spotted combing the hallways and rifling through names on court dockets.<\/p>\n
The masked men waited in the halls of 26 Federal Plaza for most of the day on June 9 while looking to apprehend individuals attending court hearings, with their presence sparking fear and confusion among visitors and lawyers alike.
\nSeveral federal agents wearing FBI patches plastered on their bulletproof vests arrived on the 12th floor that morning, but appeared to remove those patches when they noticed press cameras.<\/p>\n
They gathered with ICE agents and others wearing DEA patches and loitered in the corridor not far from where flyers were posted encouraging immigrants to comply in advance and self-deport.
\nA masked ICE agent, wearing a vest with a patch reading \u201cPOLICE\u201d in block letters, inside 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan on June 9, 2025.
\nPhoto by Dean Moses<\/p>\n
Their appearance drew the ire of lawyers and fear from immigrants.
\nOne lawyer, who asked not to be identified, told amNewYork that when one of the judges saw the masked group, they told her to return later in the morning \u2014 apparently in the hope of avoiding an encounter.
\nAnother federal employee, who also asked not to be named, told amNewYork that having ICE in the building has been a living hell and is making them uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
Other attorneys could be observed repeatedly returning to the hallway and staring at the agents before scurrying away.
\nThough attorneys fumed and visitors expressed concern, the ICE agents themselves didn\u2019t seem to have a care in the world.
\nAs the hours wore on, the ICE agents could be seen joking and laughing while the court was in session \u2014 so much so that a security guard asked them to keep it down.<\/p>\n
When they weren\u2019t carousing, they seemed to be scouring their phones and the court dockets looking for people eligible for deportation.
\namNewYork also spotted a text chain the group appeared to be on in which they attempted to coordinate their detainments.
\n\u201cThis is in 26 still, right?\u201d one message read, referring to the Federal Plaza address.
\n\u201cA lady is giving out flyers explaining how to fight a dismissal,\u201d another message read.
\nLater, the ICE agents were seen comparing the names from the list on the wall with a paper they held in their hands.<\/p>\n
Despite waiting until just before 3 p.m., the federal agents left the building without making an arrest. However, at least immigrants were reportedly arrested across the street at 2090 Broadway.
\nFlyers tell people to self-deport.
\nPhoto by Dean Moses
\nICE badge.
\nPhoto by Dean Moses<\/p>\n
Some attorneys believe ICE\u2019s presence at the courts is a fear tactic, commenting on the use of several different agencies.
\n\u201cThey cover their faces. Why are they covering their faces? What are they hiding? They are not identifying who they\u2019re with. We\u2019re seeing officers from different agencies being used as part of this, that\u2019s been happening the last week and a half. FBI agents are in courtrooms,\u201d said immigration attorney for Make the Road New York Rachel Levenson.
\nThe mood inside immigrant court in Lower Manhattan was one of anger and fear on Monday as ICE agents were spotted lurking in the hallways, rifling through names on court dockets.
\nPhoto by Dean Moses<\/p>\n
The presence of ICE agents in the Manhattan immigration court has created a climate of fear and anxiety among lawyers, visitors, and immigrants. Their tactics, including lurking in hallways, rifling through court dockets, and attempting to coordinate detainments, have been widely criticized. The use of multiple agencies and the removal of identifying patches have added to the sense of unease and mistrust. As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how the presence of ICE agents will impact the functioning of the immigration court and the lives of those who rely on it.<\/p>\n
Q: What was the situation like at the Manhattan immigration court on June 9, 2025?
\nA: The situation was one of fear and anxiety, with masked ICE agents lurking in the hallways and rifling through court dockets.
\nQ: Why were the ICE agents at the court?
\nA: The ICE agents were at the court to apprehend individuals attending court hearings, sparking fear and confusion among visitors and lawyers.
\nQ: How did the lawyers and visitors react to the presence of ICE agents?
\nA: The lawyers and visitors were angry and fearful, with some attorneys criticizing the tactics used by the ICE agents.
\nQ: Were any arrests made by the ICE agents?
\nA: Despite waiting until just before 3 p.m., the federal agents left the building without making an arrest at the court, but at least immigrants were reportedly arrested across the street.
\nQ: What do lawyers believe is the purpose of ICE’s presence at the courts?
\nA: Some attorneys believe that ICE’s presence at the courts is a fear tactic, intended to intimidate and discourage immigrants from attending court hearings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Introduction to the Crisis The anger and fear inside the immigration court in Lower Manhattan on Monday were palpable as masked ICE agents were spotted lurking in the hallways and rifling through names on court dockets. The anger and fear inside the immigration court in Lower Manhattan on Monday were palpable as masked ICE agents […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":18747,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-18746","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-crime-reports"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/www.amny.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/149C09AB-30E3-412B-93FF-A9AC47B387D5.jpeg?quality=51&w=384&w=384&resize=384,256&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18746"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18746"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18746\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18748,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18746\/revisions\/18748"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18746"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18746"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18746"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}