Five envelopes containing a suspicious white powder were discovered Thursday evening in the mailroom on the 9th floor of the ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations office at 26 Federal Plaza — the Jacob K. Javits Federal Office Building — in New York City, prompting a swift response from first responders and federal authorities.
Hazmat teams rushed to the scene, and the building — which also houses a Department of Homeland Security field office — was evacuated. No injuries were reported, though one worker underwent decontamination, authorities said.
Preliminary tests indicated the substance was non-hazardous, according to law enforcement sources. The envelopes have been sent to the FBI’s lab in Quantico for analysis, and both the New York Fire Department’s Hazmat team and the FBI are investigating.
CBS News continues:
Immigration court is held inside the building and it is where ICE agents have detained migrants after routine hearings.
Immigration advocates have clashed with police outside the federal building over arrests and reportedly poor conditions inside the facility.
A federal judge on Tuesday said he would block the Trump administration from using the building to hold immigrants facing deportation unless it reduces the number of detainees and improves conditions at the site, including by providing sleeping mats and hygiene products.
DHS maintains the building is not a detention center and says allegations of overcrowding or poor conditions are “categorically false.”
FBI Assistant Director Christopher Raia noted that while many incidents like this turn out to be hoaxes, the bureau is treating the matter with the utmost seriousness.
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They should find out who did this and prosecute them.
HA,HA,HA. These fools have picked on the wrong group, led by the (for them) wrong person.