U.S. Judge orders immediate improvement of conditions for immigration detainees in NYC

August 13, 2025

RED FM News Desk

A major development has come out of New York City, where a U.S. judge has ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to immediately improve the living conditions at an immigration holding facility located at 26 Federal Plaza, Manhattan.

This ruling came after numerous complaints from detainees who reported being held in overcrowded, unsanitary, and inhumane conditions. Some described rooms filled with more than 20 people sleeping on the floor with only thin thermal blankets and no mattresses. Many had no access to basic hygiene products such as soap, toothpaste, or even proper food and water.

One woman shared that she received only two sanitary pads during her menstrual period and had to share them with several other women. Another detainee claimed that instead of receiving water properly, a guard would spray water into their mouths using a bottle, “like we were animals.”

Judge Lewis Kaplan has ordered ICE to implement the following immediately:

  • Minimum of 50 square feet of space per detainee.
  • Holding rooms must be cleaned three times a day.
  • Proper sleeping materials like mattresses or thick blankets must be provided.
  • Basic hygiene supplies like soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, towels, and sanitary products must be given to all detainees.

The case was brought forward by three major advocacy organizations:

  1. Make the Road New York
  2. New York Civil Liberties Union
  3. American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

The two main plaintiffs in the lawsuit are:

  • Sergio Barco Mercado from Peru, who said he was suffering from a tooth infection and the conditions worsened his health.
  • Carlos López Benítez from Paraguay, who claimed he was threatened that if he didn’t leave the country voluntarily, his hearing would be delayed until 2029.

Even the U.S. government’s lawyer acknowledged that “many of the complaints are valid” and said they too want the conditions to be “humane.”

This case highlights growing concerns about the treatment of immigrants in detention facilities, especially in one of America’s most populated cities.

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