New Yorkers came out for a day of "Good Trouble" on July 17th, 2026, starting with a rally in Foley Square, followed by a march on the streets to 26 Federal Plaza.
26 Federal Plaza is where ICE processes more than half of the immigrants they detain inside the boundaries of New York City. The building also contains an immigration court, where ICE agents have been known to ambush and arrest immigrants who are attempting to follow the law by showing up for routine immigration hearings, often intercepting them in hallways before or after they participate in the courtroom process.
Several violent incidents have occurred in these hallways, including men and women being shoved against walls and tackled to the ground by ICE agents, right outside of courtrooms. Perhaps most notably, current Democratic congressional candidate and former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander was physically attacked and subsequently arrested by ICE agents while trying to ensure that a migrant was being treated fairly after his hearing. ICE agents also arrested the migrant Brad Lander was attempting to protect.
Today, on July 20th, 2026, there was a new incident at 26 Federal Plaza where an individual allegedly poured gasoline onto a small stairwell outside of the building, lit it using fireworks, and released some pellets from a pellet gun, apparently expressing anti-ICE sentiment.
26 Federal Plaza will remain a focal point for activism as long as ICE continues operating inside New York City.
"Good Trouble" refers to the phrase coined by civil rights icon and Congressman John Lewis, who said "good trouble, necessary trouble" to describe actions taken during the 1960s Civil Rights movement. July 17, the day of his death, has recently become a day for a new generation of activists to hold rallies and marches on a variety of civil rights topics.
