Inside the Turmoil of Immigration Detentions in New York City

Mon Oct 20 2025 21:17:31 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

New York City's immigration courts are becoming battlegrounds as families face aggressive deportation actions. Eyewitness accounts highlight the trauma experienced by detainees and their families.

A recent incident involving the detention of Rubén Abelardo Ortiz López at New York's immigration court has sparked a public outcry, revealing a distressing trend of aggressive deportation actions. Eyewitness reports documented emotional chaos as families are torn apart, raising concerns over the treatment of immigrants in these proceedings. Legal experts note the increased risks for immigrants who choose to attend their hearings amid aggressive enforcement tactics.

Monica Moreta Galarza felt relieved after her husband's routine immigration hearing at New York City's 26 Federal Plaza.

A judge had ordered Rubén Abelardo Ortiz López to return to court in May, and she believed that meant a reprieve from his potential deportation to Ecuador.

Instead, as soon as they stepped out of the courtroom with their children, she was torn from her husband's arms and thrown to the ground by immigration officers as they detained him.

One of them charged at me so aggressively that I was terrified, and he ended up throwing me to the ground, Ms. Moreta Galarza told BBC News Mundo in Spanish. They treated us like animals.

The incident, which has since gone viral, led to one immigration agent being temporarily suspended. But it is not an isolated occurrence. The BBC witnessed similar incidents at the courthouse, while others have sparked public outcry.

ICE's operations inside the building have created a charged, tense environment, attorneys said.

I would honestly sum it up as just traumatic, said Allison Cutler, a New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) attorney who works at 26 Federal Plaza.

It's traumatic for the clients we're serving, for the families getting ripped apart.

While many of the detentions at 26 Federal Plaza are swift and non-violent, certain incidents have escalated into chaos. On a Tuesday in late August, the BBC observed officers detaining a man amidst his crying family, forcibly tearing them apart.

Reports of similar aggressive actions towards journalists covering these events have also emerged, raising concerns about media freedom in these circumstances.

Legal experts criticize the situation as an abuse of the court system, placing immigrants in an impossible position where attending court hearings risks arrest while skipping them could lead to automatic deportation orders.

Despite differing views on the nature of the enforcement actions, many agree that what has unfolded at these immigration courts underlines a growing crisis in how immigrant rights and processes are being respected in the face of aggressive policies.