(NEW YORK) — Envelopes containing a white powder that were found at a government building in New York City housing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement office did not contain any dangerous substances, officials said Friday.
The incident occurred Thursday afternoon at 26 Federal Plaza, in Manhattan’s Foley Square, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said.
The five letters were found at about 4 p.m. in the mailroom of the ICE Enforcement and Removal Office on the ninth floor, according to the FBI.
“In the majority of my experience, most of these incidents turn out to be nothing. However, this matter is not going to be taken lightly,” said Christoper Raia, the FBI assistant director in charge of the FBI’s New York field office, who noted that “sending threatening letters of this nature, whether real or a hoax, is a crime.”
Initial testing of the powder indicates it was boric acid, which is commonly used in pesticides and other chemicals and is harmful if eaten, officials told WABC.
Personnel in the ICE ERO office found the envelopes, according to Raia, who said two people were initially exposed. Those two individuals are expected to OK, officials told New York ABC station WABC.
On Friday, Adams told radio station 1010 WINS that “no dangerous substances” were involved in the incident, but said it is “still a serious crime.”
“We are going to make sure the person responsible will be brought to justice,” Adams told 1010 WINS.
Hazmat teams were on the ground on Thursday “to ensure the safety of everyone inside and outside of the building” while awaiting the test results, the mayor said.
The building was evacuated “per standard protocol,” Raia said.
The 41-floor office building is home to ICE’s New York City field office, as well as the FBI’s New York field office and an immigration court. It has made headlines and been the site of frequent protests over ICE operations in the city amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants.
A so-called “holding facility” for detained migrants is located on the 10th floor of the building. Following allegations of unsanitary conditions there, a federal judge this week ordered the Trump administration to ensure the facility is not overcrowded and that detainees are provided with hygiene products and confidential access to lawyers. The Department of Homeland Security denied the conditions in the facility were subprime.
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander was arrested in June while observing proceedings at the building’s immigration court. He was accused of assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer but has not been charged.
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