August 15, 2025

Five envelopes containing a suspicious white powder were discovered at New York’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Manhattan Thursday afternoon – prompting first responders to evacuate the federal building, according to authorities.

Fire officials responded to 26 Federal Plaza on Foley Square just before 4 p.m. after personnel found the menacing letters containing the mysterious substance in the 9th-floor mailroom of the Jacob K. Javits Federal Office Building, officials said. 

The historic address, also home to the US Department of Homeland Security, immigration court and other federal agencies, was swiftly evacuated as the fire department’s hazmat teams investigated. 

There were no reported injuries, officials said. 

“Right now, no threat remains to any employees or the public at this time,” Christopher Raia, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s New York office, told reporters during a news conference Thursday night. 

“Sending threatening letters of this nature, whether real or a hoax… diverts valuable, limited law enforcement resources.”

Test results are currently pending to identify the white powder. 

The envelopes will then be sent to the FBI’s Quantico lab in Virginia for further analysis as the agency launches its own probe.

The shocking incident, seemingly targeting ICE’s 9th-floor offices, comes two days after a federal judge ordered the agency to improve its immigration holding facility following complaints from jailed migrants over inhumane conditions.

The Lower Manhattan building has become a hub for arrests as the Trump administration continues its aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration.

ICE facilities and officers have been targeted by violence since the administration ramped up arrests and deportations.

Found on mainstream news.