In brief
Families are facing heightened risks at New York City's immigration court, where aggressive enforcement actions by ICE agents are leading to deeply traumatic experiences. The recent incident involving Monica Moreta Galarza highlights the chaotic environment and the broader implications of the government's deportation policies, which disproportionately affect non-criminal immigrants. Legal experts and families recount stories of fear and uncertainty as they navigate a system that appears increasingly hostile.
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 – including an aggressive encounter between Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the media – 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.
While many of the detentions at 26 Federal Plaza are swift and non-violent, reporters and lawyers have witnessed several chaotic episodes in recent weeks. Legal experts say this is an abuse of the courts system and puts immigrants into an impossible position.
The government argues it has broad authority to detain people who are in the US illegally. The administration says it is removing dangerous criminals from the country, while also acknowledging the enforcement operations for safety reasons.
In her experience, Ms Moreta Galarza never anticipated encountering such violence in the U.S., an echo of the injustices she fled from Ecuador. It's very ugly. I feel like I'm worthless now, she remarked, encapsulating the emotional toll these encounters take on immigrant families.
