ICE Officials Warned of Dangerous Overcrowding at 26 Federal Plaza and Kept Sending People

ICE officials repeatedly warned about dangerous overcrowding at New York's 26 Federal Plaza, where dozens of detainees were held for days in rooms designed for stays no longer than 12 hours, according to internal government emails, text messages, and detainee testimonies obtained by The Washington Post and reported on July 22, 2026. The rooms lacked beds, showers, and full-time medical staff.

The records indicate officials continued sending people to the facility even after being told conditions were unsafe. As detention populations have risen under the administration's expanded immigration enforcement, holding sites intended for brief processing have been used for prolonged custody, raising health, safety, and legal concerns about conditions of confinement.

The reporting is based on contemporaneous internal communications and firsthand accounts; the agency's formal response was not detailed.