Joselyn Chipantiza-Sisalema, 20, held 10 days in NYC ICE facility with lights never turned off
Jun 2025 · Manhattan, NY

Joselyn Chipantiza-Sisalema, age 20, was detained at 26 Federal Plaza for 10 days where conditions included lights that were never shut off and unbearable summer heat. She was provided minimal food—often just cookies thrown into the detention area—and had to beg staff for food and water. She was eventually released from ICE custody following a federal judge's order. She stated: "We had to beg the people working there that they gave us something to eat, they didn't even give us water. Sometimes a few cookies they'd throw in there. A human being doesn't deserve to be treated that way. They had us in there like animals."
Sources
More incidents in New York
- Brooklyn restaurant owner loses half staff as Haiti TPS endsAug 27, 2026 · Brooklyn, NY
- Guatemalan man restrained by ICE agents inside New York laundromatAug 22, 2026 · NY
- Colombian father detained after ICE ambushes his car in QueensAug 21, 2026 · College Point, NY
- Guatemalan man tackled and detained by ICE while eating outside NY homeAug 21, 2026 · New Rochelle, NY
- ICE detains three men in Syracuse stop, one tasered while resistingAug 20, 2026 · Syracuse, NY
- Mexican man detained by ICE while walking home in New Rochelle, NYAug 20, 2026 · New Rochelle, NY