Latest news with #AdrianoEspaillat
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Congress members denied entry to Manhattan ICE facility, claim overcrowding, unsanitary conditions
Two members of Congress were blocked Sunday from entering an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Manhattan after trying to inspect it amid widespread detainments and claims of unbearable heat and overcrowding — including detainees being forced to sleep on bathroom floors. New York Democrat Representatives Adriano Espaillat and Nydia Velazquez tried to perform a drop-in check at a temporary detainment facility at 26 Federal Plaza in Tribeca Sunday afternoon, but said they were illegally denied entry by an official from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The pair argued that as elected officials, they have the legal right to inspect the facility unannounced. 'This is not Russia,' Rep. Velazquez said. 'This is the United States of America where we have three branches of government. The president of the United States is not a king. And we, as members of Congress, have the duly constitutional responsibility to exercise oversight in a place like this. What is it that they are hiding?' The congressional reps tried inspecting the facility — where hundreds of immigrants are reportedly being held after being swept up in recent ICE raids — after receiving reports of unbearable heat and overcrowding to the point that detainees have been forced to sleep on bathroom floors, according to the New York Immigration Coalition. ADVERTISEMENT 'We are members or Congress, duly elected. Our constitutional right and our constitutional duty is to have oversight over these agencies and to ensure that we supervise and ascertain whether the conditions in these facilities are just or not, whether they're inhumane or not,' Rep. Espailllat said. 'Today ICE violated all of our rights because as an extension, we are here to defend your rights, the rights of the American people to have access and oversight to the federal buildings to ensure that everything is done correctly and in accordance to the law,' he said. 'We were denied that right today, a basic civil right, a constitutional right, that we as members of congress are here to uphold. So we will continue to come back. 'We will continue to come back until we are allowed to have access to the 10th floor.'
New York Times
09-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
2 New York Representatives Are Denied Access to ICE Facility
Federal officials prevented two members of Congress on Sunday from entering an immigration detention facility in Manhattan where the representatives were seeking to investigate reports of overcrowding, stifling heat and migrants sleeping on bathroom floors. The representatives, Adriano Espaillat and Nydia Velázquez, both Democrats from New York, said officials at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building had denied them access to the 10th-floor detention area because it was a 'sensitive facility.' The building, at 26 Federal Plaza, a few blocks from City Hall, has been the site of recent protests against the transport of migrants there by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. It also houses immigration courts where ICE has been making arrests in recent weeks. Members of Congress are allowed special access to any Department of Homeland Security facility, including those operated by ICE, as long as they give at least 24 hours' advance notice, according to visitation guidelines. 'Today, ICE violated all of our rights,' Representative Espaillat said at a news conference on Sunday after being turned away. 'We deserve to know what's going on on the 10th floor.' He added, 'If there's nothing wrong, there's no reason we shouldn't be able to go in to see it.' Representative Velázquez said she was outraged about being turned away. 'Our duty is to supervise any federal building,' she said. 'This is not Russia; this is the United States of America,' she added. 'The president of the United States is not a king.' A spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, said Sunday evening that the lawmakers had shown up unannounced. ICE officials had told them, she said, that they 'would be happy to give them a tour with a little more notice, when it would not disrupt ongoing law enforcement activities and sensitive law enforcement items could be put away.' The representatives arrived a day after dozens of protesters at the complex tried to block ICE vehicles carrying migrants. Many held up signs, including some that said 'Stop Deportations!' and 'To Get Our Neighbors You Have To Get Through Us!' That demonstration erupted in a clash with police officers, some of whom blasted protesters with pepper spray. The police said 22 people were taken into custody. Most were issued summonses or asked to return to court at a later date, according to a spokesman for the Manhattan district attorney. 'This is the nightmare scenario we've been taught to fear since childhood,' said John Mark Rozendaal, 64, of Manhattan, who has protested at the building over the last three weeks. We need to 'stand up to the repression that's coming into our nation,' he added. Santiago Castro, 28, a student who is from Colombia, said he had come to the demonstration for a personal reason: ICE agents arrested his father in Manhattan on Tuesday. Mr. Castro said he was demonstrating 'for my family.'
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Congress members denied entry to Manhattan ICE facility, claim overcrowding, unsanitary conditions
Two members of Congress were blocked Sunday from entering an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Manhattan after trying to inspect it amid widespread detainments and claims of unbearable heat and overcrowding — including detainees being forced to sleep on bathroom floors. New York Democrat Representatives Adriano Espaillat and Nydia Velazquez tried to perform a drop-in check at a temporary detainment facility at 26 Federal Plaza in Tribeca Sunday afternoon, but said they were illegally denied entry by an official from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The pair argued that as elected officials, they have the legal right to inspect the facility unannounced. 'This is not Russia,' Rep. Velazquez said. 'This is the United States of America where we have three branches of government. The president of the United States is not a king. And we, as members of Congress, have the duly constitutional responsibility to exercise oversight in a place like this. What is it that they are hiding?' The congressional reps tried inspecting the facility — where hundreds of immigrants are reportedly being held after being swept up in recent ICE raids — after receiving reports of unbearable heat and overcrowding to the point that detainees have been forced to sleep on bathroom floors, according to the New York Immigration Coalition. 'We are members or Congress, duly elected. Our constitutional right and our constitutional duty is to have oversight over these agencies and to ensure that we supervise and ascertain whether the conditions in these facilities are just or not, whether they're inhumane or not,' Rep. Espailllat said. 'Today ICE violated all of our rights because as an extension, we are here to defend your rights, the rights of the American people to have access and oversight to the federal buildings to ensure that everything is done correctly and in accordance to the law,' he said. 'We were denied that right today, a basic civil right, a constitutional right, that we as members of congress are here to uphold. So we will continue to come back. 'We will continue to come back until we are allowed to have access to the 10th floor.'
CBS News
08-06-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
NYC lawmakers say they were denied access to ICE facility at Federal Plaza
United States Reps. Adriano Espaillat and Nydia Velazquez are condemning U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement's practices in New York City and nationwide. The New York Democratic lawmakers said Sunday they were denied access to the 10th floor at 26 Federal Plaza, where they say the agency is detaining people. They warned that's just one of many concerning actions in the Trump administration's deportation program. Their attempt to get inside the building came after the NYPD clashed with protesters outside the facility on Saturday over recent ICE arrests. Police say 13 people were issued court summonses and nine were arrested and charged. Read more: Trump deploying National Guard to Los Angeles as immigration protests ramp up after citywide ICE operations "Today, ICE violated our rights" Immigration advocates say they have reason to believe that hundreds of immigrants are being held on the 10th floor in inhumane conditions. Espaillat and Velazquez said they attempted to tour the facility after waiting over an hour in the lobby, only to be denied access. They walked out of Federal Plaza frustrated. "Today, ICE violated all of our rights because, as an extension, we are here to defend your rights, the rights of the American people, to have access and oversight to the federal buildings to ensure that everything is done correctly and in accordance to the law. We were denied that right today, a basic civil right, a constitutional right that we as members of Congress are here to uphold," Espaillat said. The two members of Congress said a deputy denied them access to an immigration holding facility. "She said that it's an ICE facility and a sensitive facility," Espaillat said. Lawmakers say they're worried about conditions at Federal Plaza The representatives, along with immigration advocates, condemned recent ICE arrests at immigration hearings. They say advocates captured images which they say shows federal agents taking migrants into custody at court proceedings and ICE check-ins. They added that they're worried about the conditions migrants are facing, following reports of overcrowding, unbearable heat, and people being forced to sleep on the floor. "Traditionally have been detained for by some hours, but not overnight or not today or not three days," Velazquez said. CBS News New York reached out to ICE for a comment and it released a statement, saying, in part, "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is executing the president's mission of identifying and removing criminal aliens and other individuals who have violated our nation's immigration laws."
Associated Press
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Another politician who demanded Cuomo resign as governor now endorses him for NYC mayor
A growing number of Democrats who called on Andrew Cuomo to resign as governor amid sexual harassment allegations are now backing his comeback bid for New York City mayor -- including one of his opponents in the race. On Friday, state Sen. Jessica Ramos became the latest to flip-flop on Cuomo and endorse him, casting the former governor as the candidate best suited to run the city. 'We need results, we need experience and someone who knows how to deliver under pressure,' she said at a press conference held by the Cuomo campaign in Manhattan. Though she is backing Cuomo, Ramos said she will remain in the race to advocate for 'higher wages, more housing, and a stronger voice for working people.' The reversal from Ramos, who had called on Cuomo to resign in 2021, came just months after she described him a 'corrupt bully' who 'brings nothing to this race but baggage' when he entered the race . With her endorsement, Ramos joined lawmakers such as Rep. Adriano Espaillat , state Assembly member and Brooklyn Democratic Chair Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn and Rep. Gregory W. Meeks , along with others who have changed positions on Cuomo and now welcome his leadership ahead of the city's Democratic primary later this month. 'There are a lot of elected officials that have decided they want to look past any bad behavior because they want to look at more immediate needs,' said Basil Smikle, a Democratic political strategist and professor at Columbia University. 'They seem him as a strong person. They probably think he's the only one that can push back against Donald Trump.' Cuomo left office after the state attorney general released a report that determined he sexually harassed at least 11 women. He has said he did not intentionally mistreat the women but had instead fallen behind what was considered appropriate workplace conduct, while at the same criticizing the pressure for his ouster politically motivated. For Cuomo, securing the endorsements of those who once castigated him could ease voter concerns about his past scandals and bolster his long-held thesis that he was wrongfully forced to resign. In a statement, Cuomo said he was proud to have Ramos' support and looked forward to working with her to 'put this city back on the right track and make this a stronger and more affordable place for all working men and women.' 'We're both proud Queens kids and with it comes a 'Queens attitude' that is both tough and protective of our families and our neighbors and by extension all New Yorkers,' he said. Ramos' endorsement came a day after U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez threw her weight behind mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani , a 33-year-old democratic socialist who has surged in the months leading up to the primary. Ramos has grown critical of Mamdani as the left flank of the Democratic Party has coalesced behind him. She jabbed at the social media-savvy Mamdani during a debate this week, saying she wished she'd run for mayor sooner but 'I thought I needed more experience but turns out you just need to make good videos.'
