ICE will no longer hold detainees at LI courthouse for more than 12 hours

ICE will no longer hold migrant detainees in Suffolk County for more than 12 hours after a judge accused the agency of lying to the court and operating “inhumanely and unlawfully.”  

Immigration and Customs Enforcement will now be substantially limiting its detention at the Central Islip federal courthouse holding room on Long Island, including by not keeping detainees overnight, and will transfer all of them out to other facilities each evening, according to a newly unsealed Dec. 23 letter from the government to US District Judge Gary Brown. 

The shift comes after Brown, a Trump appointee, threatened ICE with contempt over conditions inside holding cells at courthouse, where multiple detainees were allegedly confined overnight in a cramped room with an open toilet, no bedding and constant lighting. 

Brown accused the agency of submitting “demonstrably false” court filings over the issue and subjecting detainees to “inhumane and unlawful” treatment.

The government later acknowledged its errors in its court filings.

Brown has not yet ruled on whether he will hold ICE or the Department of Homeland Security in contempt over any of the issues but said further action could follow if the agency fails to fully comply with court orders and correct the record, court documents detailed. 

US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. asked for more time to adequately address each concern the judge has raised, asking to give the government until Jan. 23 to fully respond to Brown’s order, according to court records. 

Federal officials also said ICE has now taken photographs of the Central Islip holding room and will submit them to the court under seal for review, citing security and operational concerns, court docs said.