How a ‘Habeas Machine’ Reunited One Family That Was Pulled Apart by ICE

The agents were on the hunt, but as they staked out the hallway in 26 Federal Plaza looking for immigrants to detain, they had other prey in mind. “I’ve never had kangaroo. I want to try,” said Samantha Camlica, an agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) who has developed a reputation for aggression among the regular observers who monitor the court. The other four agents flanking the corridor with her on that morning late last month were wearing masks. Camlica, who has declined to comment for this series , was the only one in the group whose affiliation was clearly visible. Amid President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign, ICE officers have been assisted by personnel from a slew of other federal agencies as they round up undocumented migrants. In New York City, more than anywhere else in the country, those detentions have taken place in the halls of 26 Federal Plaza and other courthouses as immigrants show up for required check-ins and hearings. Another one of the agents volunteered that they had been offered dog meat on a trip to Korea. “The translator said ‘roof roof,’” the agent explained. Camlica noted she doesn’t “get how people could be vegetarian or vegan.” “I like meat too much,” she said. While the masked agents are a constant, menacing presence for the immigrants in the halls, they are not always an active one. On some days, no one is taken. Others have long lulls filled with quiet or aimless conversation. Then, suddenly there will be an explosion of activity and shouting as someone is grabbed and dragged into a stairwell. As they mused about eating meat, Camlica and the other agents were on the verge of one of these violent moments that would see a young Venezuelan man pulled away from his parents. It would also activate a partnership between activists and Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY), who have developed a method for quickly responding and trying to secure the release of immigrants who are taken. I was at the courthouse that morning and spent time with the family in the first crucial hours after their son was grabbed. The situation revealed the surreal, threatening environment in the courts, and how some of these detentions seemingly operate outside the rule of law. It also showcased the system Goldman and other advocates have built to bring detainees justice. On the day of this particular detention, the agents at 26 Federal Plaza spent over 20 minutes discussing meats. Their conversation segued into a broader one about international foods and travel. One man stood at least a head taller than all the others in the group. He was apparently from Puerto Rico. “Have you had chicharron?” he asked his colleagues. “In Puerto Rico, it’s the skin of the pig.” Camlica, who said she has family from Turkey, countered with some of that country’s delicacies. “In Turkey, they use the intestines for, like, a gyro. It’s so good,” Camlica said, adding, “I think anything in any other...

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