As masked agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement continue to snatch people in the hallways, courtrooms, and lobbies of federal office buildings in Lower Manhattan, pro-immigrant activists, lawyers, and concerned citizens have begun to pack courtrooms in an effort to try to guide immigrants to safety after the conclusion of their hearings.
On Thursday morning, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander joined the court-watchers at 290 Broadway, one of the city's three federal immigration court buildings, and walked with immigrants away from their court appearances in order to deter ICE agents from abducting them.
The federal building is just steps from City Hall and many municipal buildings, yet Lander is the only citywide official so far to actually bear witness firsthand to what's happening inside and outside its immigration courts.
"Our immigration courts have essentially become lawless places where people are being denied due process and the right to asylum, which is part of international law," Lander told reporters outside of 290 Broadway. "We've seen New York City public school students tricked into agreeing to their own removals. It's a new level of horror."