Immigration centre set on fire in ‘attack targeting Ice agents’ in New York

A suspect was spotted hauling fireworks into the facility’s entrance and was equipped with a sign reading “Ice off our streets”, according to the New York Times.

The individual – who is said to have a history of anti-Ice behaviour – then detonated an “incendiary device”, setting off the fireworks and starting a ferocious blaze, authorities have said.

Dramatic footage of the attack showed armed officers wrestling a suspect to the ground as plumes of smoke could be seen pouring from the entrance of the facility.

The assistant director of the FBI field office in New York, James Barnacle, identified the suspect as 43-year-old veteran Andrew Arrabaca from Poughkeepsie.

Officials told the New York Times he was found in possession of air rifles, gasoline and a manifesto following the explosion.

In a statement, the city’s socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani described the incident as “deeply disturbing”.

|

X/DOUBLEDASH_H

He said: “I’m relieved no one was seriously injured and that a suspect is in custody.

“My team is in touch with the NYPD and we will support the federal investigation.

“Our administration will continue to ensure that every New Yorker is safe in their city – and hold accountable any who threaten that.”

Meanwhile, an FBI spokesman told The Telegraph: “An individual deployed an incendiary device outside of 26 Federal Plaza.

|

X/DOUBLEDASH_H

“The individual has been taken into custody, and the FBI New York Joint Terrorism Task Force is investigating the incident.”

The facility on 26 Federal Plaza – which houses illegal migrants and asylum seekers – has been been the focus of intense scrutiny from anti-Ice activists since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.

In September, a handful of demonstrators were arrested at the centre after attempting to break in to access cells holding detainees.

It came just one month after the officials working at the facility were forced to be evacuated after envelopes containing suspicious white powder were discovered.

| GETTY

Occupants have frequently protested about overcrowding concerns, poor sanitation and a lack of access to legal representatives.

Last year, a judge ordered the facility to improve its conditions following complaints that illegal migrants were blocked from accessing toothbrushes and soap.

A restraining order had previously been placed on the centre in a bid to limit the number of detainees being held.

The building is used by a host of federal agencies, including Ice, the FBI and US citizenship and immigration services.

The Department of Homeland Security has previously dismissed concerns surrounding the facility as “categorically false”.