For over four months, masked federal officers have been arresting and disappearing immigrants attending their mandatory asylum court dates. Photojournalists in New York City fought to maintain their First Amendment right to observe the chaotic, cruel, and often violent breach of due process occurring daily in NYC’s immigration courts.
A documentary by Michael Nigro.
Transcript
Brad Lander (NYC Comptroller): These buildings have ceased to be courthouses. They are not places where judges are having hearings that are a meaningful part of the rule of law. These buildings are essentially abduction traps.
[TEXT] On May 29, 2025, journalists gained access to film in the hallways of the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building and the Ted Weiss Federal Building in lower Manhattan.
Both buildings contain multiple immigration courts open to the public
Dan Goldman (US Representative D-NY): They are now literally arresting people who are coming to court, who are following the law, who are doing things the right way. These are the exact opposite of convicted criminals and worst of the worst that Donald Trump said he was going to deport. These are people doing it the right way.
[TEXT] Hundreds have been detained, deported, and disappeared to other cities or other countries.
Dan Goldman (US Representative D-NY): This is gestapo-like behavior, where plainclothes officers wearing masks are terrorizing immigrants who are doing the right thing by going to court, following up on their immigration proceedings, and trying to come into this country lawfully, which is through asylum.
Speaker 1: You have the right to remain silent.
[Repeats in Spanish].
Speaker 2: [Speaking Spanish] No, please… My dad…
Speaker 3: [Shouting] Where’s my son? Where’s my son?
Speaker 4: You guys ask people to do it the legal way, they do it, and this is how you treat them.
Speaker 5: What’s your fucking family say about you? You fucking Nazi.
[Inaudible].
Speaker 6: Yo, get the fuck off me! I’m American!
Masked Border Patrol Officer: I can put my hands up, too [obscures camera].
Camera Operator 1: Yeah, you can.
[TEXT] Early on, agents did not wear tactical gear.
Few agents would identify themselves.
Camera Operator 2: Can you guys identify yourself, please?
Plainclothes Officer 1: I’m with the FBI.
Camera Operator 2: And your name is?
Plainclothes Officer 1: I decline to answer that, but we just have to do what we have to do and then we’ll be out of the way.
Speaker 7: The judge has trampled on his rights.
Plainclothes Officer 2: I apologize. But you have to talk to somebody at 26 Federal Plaza. We’re just following orders, ma’am.
Speaker 7: There’s no one who…
Camera Operator 2: Just following orders? Are you with the FBI as well?
Speaker 7: Can I get your name?
Masked Plainclothes Officer 1: I don’t have to answer that.
Speaker 7: Can I get your supervisor and what department you’re from?
Speaker 8: We need to close the door. Excuse me.
[TEXT] Activists and court observers were also allowed in these public spaces.
They would later be restricted from being in the hallways.
No cameras are allowed inside the waiting rooms or courtrooms.
Speaker 9: Excuse me. Excuse me.
Speaker 5: [Inaudible] fucking ashamed. Jesus fucking Christ.
Speaker 4: Shame on you. Shame, shame, shame.
Speaker 5: Fuck you, fucking Nazi.
Speaker 4: Shame.
Speaker 5: You are a Nazi.
Speaker 4: Shame on you. This is disgusting. Shame. [Camera shutters clicking].
Speaker 5: Move me out of the way. I’m an American citizen.
Plainclothes Officer 2: You are impeding arrest.
Speaker 5: Move me.
Plainclothes Officer 2: You are impeding arrest.
Speaker 5: Move me. Move me.
Speaker 4: Shame, shame, shame.
Speaker 5: Fucking fascists.
Do you tell your mom you’re a Nazi? Did you dream about this when you were fucking growing up? Huh? Huh? Huh?
Speaker 4: Who are you? Who are you? I don’t know who you are.
Speaker 5: What’s your fucking family say about you? You fucking Nazi. Fucking SS, that’s who you are.
Speaker 4: I don’t know who you are. Why are you [inaudible].
Speaker 5: Fucking Nazi. Take your mask off you fucking coward. Take it off. Take it off.
Speaker 10: [Inaudible]
Speaker 11: Fucking abominations of people.
Speaker 5: Fuck you. Nazi! Fuck you!
[Slams fists on door].
[TEXT] Being undocumented in America is not a criminal offence.
It is a civil violation — Just like a speeding ticket.
The courts are the sanctioned process to determine asylum eligibility.
Agents often ignore a judge’s ruling and make arrests anyway.
Brad Lander (NYC Comptroller): The judge just granted every one of the people that’s about to leave this courtroom a continuance until Nov. 4, 2026. She advised every one of them of their right to have their cases heard in person, to be able to tell their stories. She asked them if they feared persecution, that they are entitled to have lawyers. She told them that they would have a list of the lawyers that might be provided free or low cost, although I’m told it hasn’t been updated since 2023, even though the city and the state are providing a lot of resources for lawyers.
So anyone that [inaudible] God, including these families, they are violating the Convention Against Torture, and they are certainly violating Judge Adams’ very well-described rights.
Speaker 12: There’s a baby. There’s a baby, guys [crosstalk].
Officer 1: Make a hole —
Speaker 13: Not in the courtroom. Not in the courtroom. Not in the courtroom.
Masked Officer: No pictures in the courtroom.
Speaker 12: Guys —
Masked Officer: No pictures of the courtroom.
Speaker 12: Just hold him on the side, right here.
No photograph inside the courtroom.
Masked Officer: Make a hole! Make a hole!
Hey, just take them, just take them, just take them. We’ll come find you.
[Crosstalk].
Speaker 12: It doesn’t matter their identity, it doesn’t matter who they are, you don’t even know —
Camera Operator 3: I got your back, I got your back.
Speaker 14: Sir, what country are you from?
Speaker 1: You don’t have to show documents. You have the right to remain silent [Spanish].
Masked Officer: Make a hole! Make a hole now! Make a hole now!
Speaker 15: Here we go.
Out of the door.
Masked Officer: Make a hole now! Out of the damn way!
[TEXT] “…70.3% held in ICE detention have no criminal conviction … Many of those convicted committed only minor offenses, including traffic violations.”
– Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), Sept. 2, 2025.
Speaker 16: Why is he being detained?
Speaker 17: What is the reason for his detainment?
Is the reason for detaining him, has he done anything? Has he broken any laws?
Speaker 16: He has another court date. He has another court date. He’s been released by the judge.
Speaker 17: His court date is set for next May. Why is he being detained?
[TEXT] Detained immigrants are taken to the 10th floor and sometimes held for weeks.
Despite legal precedent, politicians have been denied entry into those rooms.
In August 2025, a leaked video exposed serious issues in the 10th floor holding cells, including overcrowding, poor sanitation, lack of medical care, [and] limited legal access.
Speaker 18: …I’m sure you’re following federal orders.
Speaker 19: Who’s out there?
Speaker 20: Don’t open the door.
Speaker 21: I got you. Who’s out there?
Speaker 19: Press.
Speaker 21: OK.
Julia Salazar (New York State Senator): And elected officials.
Speaker 22: Why won’t you open the door?
Speaker 23: State elected officials and city elected officials.
Speaker 24: Please do open the door.
Julia Salazar (New York State Senator): We’re just asking to observe.
Emily Gallagher (New York State Representative): It’s our right as elected officials to observe the conditions our constituents are in.
Jessica González-Rojas (New York State Rep.): We’re happy to wait as long as you need us to wait.
Robert Carroll (New York State Representative): Court proceedings can’t be fair if they’re done in the dark.
Emily Gallagher (New York State Representative): Yeah. A federal judge ruled yesterday that no one should be detained up here and that we should be able to enter.
Gustavo Rivera (New York State Senator): And since we know the folks are here, we just want to observe their conditions. That’s all.
[TEXT] After an hour-long standoff, Homeland Security arrested the 11 elected lawmakers.
Crowd: We want justice for our people!
Officer 2: Back up! If you impede, you will be placed under arrest!
Crowd: We want justice for our neighbors!
Officer 3: On that side, please. On that side.
Crowd: One! Two! A little bit louder! Three!
Officer 2: Make a hole! If you impede, you will be placed under arrest!
Speaker 25: Five!
Photojournalist: Violence…
[Camera shutters clicking].
Masked Officer: Move, move, move!
Masked Plainclothes Officer 2: Keep walking, guys. Come on, keep going. Keep walking. Keep walking. Come on.
Masked Plainclothes Officer 3: Move out of the way!
Speaker 26: [Speaking Spanish].
Benjamin Remy, Esq.: That was an asylum-seeker from Venezuela. He was given his final hearing, and unfortunately, he was grabbed as soon as he left the room, so there will be no due process for this man. He’ll be shipped out somewhere across the country to a detention facility and he’ll have to start essentially from scratch.
Camera operator 4: Stand back. It’s a pregnant woman.
Speaker 27: Thank you.
Masked Plainclothes Officer 4: Clear a path, please.
More space, more space, more space.
[To the press] Get out of the fucking way! You do that one more fucking time, I’ll fucking arrest you.
Allison Cutler, Esq.: And I said that to them. I was like, she is pregnant and you’re detaining her. She’s in her final trimester, obviously, she’s incredibly pregnant, and you’re detaining her anyway. You can cause a miscarriage doing that.
The pregnant women really get me.
Speaker 28: Oh, honey.
Allison Cutler, Esq.: Because we had a client whose wife suffered a miscarriage after she witnessed him being detained.
Speaker 29: I remember that, yeah.
Allison Cutler, Esq.: And so you could literally cause a miscarriage at this point.
Speaker 30: Do you know the nationality?
Allison Cutler, Esq.: [Shakes head “no”].
I told them she’s pregnant. She’s obviously extremely pregnant. I told the client to tell him what medication she…
[TEXT] The White House has directed that people can be deported to countries they’re not from.
Speaker 31: [Spanish] Please, please, no.
Masked Plainclothes Officer 5: Out the way!
[Speaking Spanish].
Speaker 31: [Crying].
[TEXT] Naturalization ceremonies are held in the same building.
“Overall, immigration courthouse arrests have been nearly 14 times as common in New York City than the country as a whole. They made up 7% of all ICE arrests in the city since President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20 through June, compared to 0.5% nationally over the same period of time.”
– “NYC Is the Nation’s Capital of Immigration Courthouse Arrests, New Data Analysis Shows” by Haidee Chu and Gwynne Hogan THE CITY, Aug. 11, 2025.
Protests outside the buildings while court is in session have become common.
Protesters: No ICE! No KKK, no fascist USA!
No ICE! No KKK, no fascist USA!
No ICE! No KKK, no fascist USA!
Masked Plainclothes Officer 4: We’re ICE, OK? You’re being detained.
Officer 4: Back up, back up, back up. Back up!
Officer 3: Everyone, get back!
Speaker 32: But you don’t have beds here?
Speaker 33: We do not have beds here.
Protesters: [Singing “Amazing Grace”] I once was lost…
[Chanting].
Officer 5: You will be placed under arrest and charged with disorderly conduct.
Chant Leader: How do you spell “kidnappers?”
Protesters: I-C-E!
Jumaane Williams (New York City Public Advocate): It’s possible that the 4-year-old daughter would be taken and the mom would be left.
Officer 5: Please make a hole.
Speaker 34: Watch the water fountain, guys, behind you.
Speaker 35: Help, help —
Protesters: [Yelling].
Masked Plainclothes Officer 6: I’ll explain everything to you in a minute.
Detained Man: [Spanish] Thank you very much.
Speaker 36: Don’t try to push my hand. This is as far as you go.
[TEXT] On Sept. 9, 2025, the Supreme Court lifted a ruling preventing ICE from targeting people without probable cause in Los Angeles.
Critics say the ruling allows “blatant racial profiling.”
Profiling has been observed in the NYC court hallways since May 29, 2025.
Speaker 38: Get the fuck off me! I know my rights! You guys are harassing me!
Masked Plainclothes Officer 7: Get back, get back, get back.
Speaker 6: You’re harassing me! Stop harassing me! I’m American, motherfuckers! Get the fuck off me!
Masked Plainclothes Officer 7: I understand. Go ahead, bro.
Speaker 6: Stop touching me! Don’t touch me, nigga! I know my rights! Yo, get the fuck off me! I’m American!
This is a fucking public building!
[Crosstalk]
Fuck you!
Masked Plainclothes Officer 7: Go that way! Get out of here! Get out of here!
Speaker 6: Don’t touch me! Stop touching me!
[Crosstalk]
A public building!
[Crosstalk]
Excuse me, I got to get my stuff. Excuse me. Excuse me. Good boy.
Where’s my stuff at? Y’all threw it on the floor, huh?
Masked Plainclothes Officer 7: Well, you — [Crosstalk].
Speaker 6: …Move out of people’s way, huh? Y’all want to harass everybody in the fucking world. Y’all got nothing else better to do?
You touching me, sir.
Masked Plainclothes Officer 8: You’re touching me.
Speaker 6: You’re touching my butt.
Masked Plainclothes Officer 8: You’re touching me. [Crosstalk].
Touching your butt? You should be so lucky.
Speaker 6: Oh?
Masked Plainclothes Officer 8: You should be so lucky.
Speaker 6: I got five kids, homie, I don’t need it.
Masked Plainclothes Officer 8: Sure seems like it. You should be at home taking care of your kids.
Speaker 6: And I do take care of my kids. What do you do for a living, harass people?
Masked Plainclothes Officer 8: Yeah.
Speaker 6: All right, that’s what I thought.
I dislike you for what the fuck you do, and I bet you $100 million your dumbass family’s not even from here! We all come from somewhere, you stupid motherfucker.
Masked Plainclothes Officer 8: Being racist.
Speaker 6: Yeah, I’m not racist. You’re the racist one for touching me! Your men harassed me! Your men harassed me! Your men harassed me! That dumbass agent nigga that’s not even American harassed me. And his stupid ass! Your fucking ancestors came here, fucking shit!
Masked Plainclothes Officer 8: [Inaudible].
Speaker 6: Yeah, yeah, get mad, big boy! You can’t touch me, nigga, I’m American!
Masked Plainclothes Officer 9: Where’s security? Are we able to get him out of here?
Speaker 6: Security, no. I’m not done, sir.
Masked Plainclothes Officer 9: Are we able to get him out of here?
Speaker 6: I’m not done, sir. Excuse me, I got to go do paperwork.
Masked Painclothes Officer 10: You’re done, you’re done.
Speaker 6: Sir, I got to go talk to the lady.
Masked Painclothes Officer 10: Not right now.
Speaker 6: This is a public building.
Just do better. I pray for you. I hope to God he helps you and blesses you, and your life, and your family, and forgives you for your job, forgives you for everything that you did wrong [camera shutters clicking]. I pray to God he forgives you, I really do, and I forgive you. I forgive you for doing this to me today in front of all these people and cameras. I forgive you, and I pray for you. I pray for you, bro.
[TEXT] Masked agents stormed a courtroom when a scared asylum seeker ran back into court.
A judge had just granted him a continuance for 2027.
The agents arrested him anyway.
Masked Plainclothes Officer 11: Make a hole, make a hole, make a hole. Make a hole.
Masked Plainclothes Officer 4: Get out the way! Get out the way!
Speaker 39: Uh-oh.
Speaker 40: [Crying].
[Handcuffs closing].