Federal investigators are still working to determine the contents of several envelopes containing a suspicious white powder that were delivered to 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan on Thursday.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams confirmed earlier today, August 15, that the white powder is not dangerous.
The building houses multiple federal agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and has been a center for protests in recent months amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, with its 10th floor serving as a makeshift detention center.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has maintained that the building is not a detention center, calling allegations of poor conditions “categorically false,” and says it plans to appeal the order.
26 Federal Plaza 9th floor
According to the FBI, five letters containing the powder were discovered in the mailroom of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations on the building’s ninth floor. Two people came in contact with the envelopes, but no injuries have been reported. An ICE detention facility operates on the 10th floor, just above the affected area.
First responders from the FDNY and NYPD raced to the scene within minutes, evacuating parts of the building and securing the area.
The FBI emphasized that sending threatening letters whether the substance is harmful or a hoax, is a federal crime.
“Most of these incidents turn out to be nothing,” an FBI spokesperson said. “However, this matter is not going to be taken lightly.”
What’s in the envelopes?
The envelopes and their contents have been sent to the FBI’s laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, for further analysis. Early indications suggest the substance may not be dangerous, but authorities will wait for definitive test results before making any conclusions. Testing typically takes several days.
Officials have not disclosed whether any part of the building will remain off-limits during the investigation, nor have they revealed the letters’ contents. The results from Quantico are expected soon.
Just last week, 15 people were arrested during a protest outside the building, where demonstrators accused federal authorities of holding immigrants in deplorable conditions.
Days later, a federal judge in New York ordered the Trump administration to improve conditions at the makeshift detention center, following a lawsuit that described the facility as unsanitary and claimed detainees were deprived of food and water. The order came just hours after Department of Justice lawyers acknowledged in court that detainees lacked access to medication and were barred from meeting with their lawyers in person.
