One day inside the deportation machine at a federal immigration court in New York

The Guardian observed a spate of detentions at a Manhattan courthouse on 16 July 2025, despite the fact that some of those detained had been granted follow-up hearings

A brother is torn from his sister. A father arrives for his immigration hearing with his family, only to find that they will be leaving without him. A woman, seemingly relieved after emerging from her hearing, finds that her life is about to change when she is apprehended by federal officials waiting just outside the door.

These are just some of the moments that happened on a single day in the Jacob K Javits federal building at 26 Federal Plaza in New York City, the largest federal immigration courthouse in Manhattan.