The New Yorker:

Immigrants showing up for court dates in Manhattan must now navigate past rows of masked federal agents.

Photography by Mark Peterson

Since the spring, at the federal courthouses in downtown Manhattan, hundreds of officers from ice and other government agencies have lined the hallways and lobbies, waiting to detain some migrants as they leave their immigration hearings. Many of the agents are masked and armed, and they are dressed in tactical gear, even though all visitors to the buildings must pass through airport-­level security.

Dozens of observers, migrant advocates, and members of the press show up each day to witness the arrests, which often take place with little regard for due process. It might not even matter how a judge rules in someone’s case. Migrants seem to be in shock as agents approach; family members might scream or sob as their loved one is taken away.
Portraits of President Donald Trump and Vice-President J. D. Vance hang in the lobby of 290 Broadway.

The photographer Mark Peterson spent several weeks this summer documenting such scenes at Federal Plaza. “It’s an image that I imagine the Administration wants out there—these guys, fully armed and masked and with body armor, arresting people,” he said. “The government is obviously looking at what pictures people are making.” Peterson has come to understand the rhythms of the place. Sometimes the agents make small talk while waiting for hearings to let out. One asked Peterson about the type of camera he uses. Others nicknamed one of his colleagues the goat after they learned that she had won a prestigious photography award.

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