Hazmat teams have been deployed to a federal government building in New York City after envelopes containing a mysterious white powder were discovered, authorities said.
Just before 4 p.m. on Thursday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel discovered envelopes containing “an unknown white powder” on the 9th floor of 26 Federal Plaza, the FBI said at a press conference. Five envelopes were found in the mail room of Enforcement and Removal Operations, a component of ICE. The building, home to an immigration court and detention centre, was evacuated. There are no injuries or illnesses, officials said.
“No threat remains to any employees or the public at this time,” Christopher Raia, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York Field Office, said at a Thursday evening press conference. Two people were believed to have been exposed to the powder. It is not immediately clear where the substance came from. Officials are awaiting test results to determine the contents of the envelopes, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry said. The letters will be sent to the FBI lab in Quantico, Virginia for additional testing.
The FBI official warned that “sending threatening letters of this nature, whether real or a hoax, is a crime.” At the scene, the decontamination process worked “perfectly,” FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker said. Earlier in the day, Mayor Eric Adams announced the discovery on X, reassuring New Yorkers that there were no known injuries.
The area outside the federal building has been at the heart of protests amid President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. The 10th floor houses a makeshift detention centre. This week, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to improve conditions there, after detainees reported little access to food and water, sleeping on cement floors and no bathing facilities for days or weeks. Justice Department lawyers admitted detainees lack access to medication and cannot meet lawyers in person.
