The building at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan was taken out on Thursday afternoon after a suspected white powder report.
FDNY said that a call came just before 4 pm, stating that the powder was found on the ninth floor. A Hazmat Unit was sent to the spot for investigation.
The building at 26 Federal Plaza is the Department of American Homeland Security and the city’s US immigration and customs enforcement area, among other agencies.
Mayor Eric Adams addressed the situation on social media.
“New Yorkers, I have been given initial information on the case coming out at 26 federal plaza, where white powder envelopes were discovered. I also want to assure you that there are no known injuries at this time,” Adams wrote. “While we wait for the results of the test from our federal partners, the @Fdny Hazmat teams are on the ground to ensure the safety of all inside and outside the building.”
For public safety, Deputy Mayor Kaj Dutri said the investigation is on and for the public “please avoid the area and follow the official channels for verified updates.”
26 federal plaza has a building view Many custody by ice agents after regular immigration hearingIt has also been a site Of many protestsThe immigrants are being kept under disappointing circumstances, making allegations.
DHS states that the building is not a detention center and says that the allegations of congested or bad situation are “clearly false.”
“This is a processing center, where illegal aliens are processed to transfer to an ice detention facility,” DHS Assistant Secretary Trisia McLaglin recently said in a statement by CBS New York. “All prisoners are provided with appropriate food, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers. As we arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens and public safety threats from the US, ICE has worked to get more essential detention locations than congestion, which avoid overcrowding.”
A federal judge said on Tuesday He will prevent Trump administration from using the building to catch migrants facing exile Until it reduces the number of prisoners and improves conditions on the site, which involves providing sleep mats and hygiene products.
US District Judge Lewis Couple Issued temporary prohibitory order After hearing on the first Tuesday. A government lawyer admitted the court that those detained by the ICE in the facility did not have access to some services, including sleeping mats, in-tradition legal visits, medicines and more than two food per day.
Please be with CBS News New York for more on this developing story.
