Brian Edsall

06/15/2026

During his time documenting federal immigration courts at 26 Federal Plaza and 290 Broadway, Michael Nigro witnessed ICE and other federal agents detain immigrants immediately after judges granted them continuances, postponing their cases to a future date.

Despite asking to see warrants, none were ever presented. In March, the Department of Justice (DOJ) admitted in a letter to a federal judge that the legal basis ICE used for virtually all of these courthouse arrests was falsified.

Nigro also documented repeated instances of racial profiling as agents not only targeted immigrants, but many Black and brown people who entered the building more broadly. One incident involved a Black man who was a long-time employee with the EPA. Nigro recalls agents surrounding and grabbing him, demanding to see his ID before eventually letting him go.

“They have these rolls of paper which are not warrants, but it’s a kind of cheat sheet of who they’re looking for. If somebody looks like somebody, they’re going to grab them.”

Watch the full interview via the link in my bio.

06/05/2026

My friend Diana, who I went to college with, shared that her husband Jorge was detained by ICE, taken away from her and their two young daughters.

Jorge was detained and separated from his family during a routine immigration appointment despite following every legal avenue available to him in pursuit of his immigration goals.

This unexpected situation has placed an enormous emotional and financial burden on his wife and two young daughters. As they navigate this difficult and uncertain time, they are facing the challenges of maintaining their household, caring for their children, and securing legal representation to help Jorge through the immigration process.

If you’re inclined, Diana and her daughters are asking for your support to help ease the financial strain on their family. Your donation will help cover essential living expenses, childcare needs, and legal fees as they work to reunite their family.

From their GoFundMe: “Most importantly, we ask for your prayers, support, and kindness during this heartbreaking time. Jorge's daughters miss their father, and his wife is doing everything she can to keep their family strong. We remain hopeful that Jorge will be able to return home to the people who love and depend on him.”

https://www.gofundme.com/f/bring-jorge-home-to-his-daughters?fbclid=IwZnRzaASPxOtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEez69Q3aYcz85BhmmsYjhEjfaCXza-tSXV4cxxBTXdfGd7dtv-DZORdUR0K3Y_aem_M1KEW6nwNGdi1lUW-vfIxQ&utm_id=97757_v0_s00_e227_tv2_tp1_a1dennhbotme0x

Help Bring Jorge Home to His Family Jorge Castro is a loving husband, devoted father… Ricardo Castro needs your support for Bring Jorge Home to His Daughters

06/03/2026

“They want to do the right thing. They are on a pathway to creating a better life for themselves.”

Downstairs, small crowds celebrate the conclusion of a naturalization ceremony. Cheers and laughter fill the hall. Families and friends photograph their loved ones to commemorate the moment they became U.S. citizens.

A few floors up, rows of masked agents wait outside a courtroom door to detain the father of a family who showed up to a routine court hearing, holding onto the same hope of one day gaining U.S. citizenship. Instead, he is ripped away from his family, who is left shattered in tears without explanation.

These are not people evading the system. These are people following the legal pathways laid before them—doing it, as many would say, “the right way.” And they are being disappeared anyway without due process.

From my full interview with photojournalist — link in bio.

06/02/2026

“To watch them rip a man away from his kids, and these kids are just shattered–to have that done in darkness, and no one has a record of it … it would be horrible."

Michael Nigro was among the first journalists to uncover ICE operations taking place inside 26 Federal Plaza and 290 Broadway—federal buildings which house immigration courts. His work and the work of other journalists helped shine a light on what was part of a larger national strategy implemented by the Trump administration to lay traps by stationing federal agents at immigration courts and detain immigrants showing up for routine court hearings.

Watch the full interview with photojournalist Michael Nigro here:

Inside a Manhattan federal courthouse, masked agents have been tear...

05/31/2026

"To watch them rip a man away from his kids, and these kids are just shattered-to have that done in darkness, and no one has a record of it ... it would be horrible. But now, we have a record of it."

From my full interview with photojournalist Michael Nigro, one of the first journalists to uncover ICE operations taking place inside federal immigration courts at Manhattan's 26 Federal Plaza and 290 Broadway.

The work of Michael and other journalists helped to reveal what was part of a larger national strategy implemented by the Trump administration to lay traps by stationing federal agents at federal immigration courts.

Watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/wFqecgfHFSA?si=0hySOEQWRnsWrKNH

05/31/2026

“To watch them rip a man away from his kids, and these kids are just shattered—to have that done in darkness, and no one has a record of it ... it would be horrible. But now, we have a record of it.”

From my full interview with photojournalist Michael Nigro (), one of the first journalists to uncover ICE operations taking place inside federal immigration courts at Manhattan’s 26 Federal Plaza and 290 Broadway.

The work of Michael and other journalists helped to reveal what was part of a larger national strategy implemented by the Trump administration to lay traps by stationing federal agents at federal immigration courts.

Watch the full interview here: https://youtu.be/wFqecgfHFSA?si=0hySOEQWRnsWrKNH

05/29/2026

Inside a Manhattan federal courthouse, masked agents have been tearing families apart, ignoring judges' rulings, and disappearing immigrants into stairwells and elevators without warrants or due process–oftentimes leaving little to no trace for loved ones or legal aid to track their whereabouts thereafter.

This is what photojournalist Michael Nigro has witnessed and documented for the past year.

One year ago, on May 29, 2025, Nigro happened upon masked ICE agents detaining immigrants inside 26 Federal Plaza and 290 Broadway. What he discovered would become, as he describes, the hardest story of his career.

Nigro has covered January 6th, the war in Ukraine, and the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville. Nothing compares to what he has witnessed inside the only immigration courts in the country with continuous journalistic access.

This is his story.

One year ago, Michael Nigro happened upon masked agents detaining immigrants in a Manhattan courthouse. From January 6th to the war in Ukraine, this has become the hardest story of his career.