Editor’s note: It’s more imperative than ever to document the actions of masked ICE agents at 26 Federal Plaza

For the past few years, chaos has reigned at 26 Federal Plaza, home to the city’s immigration courts in lower Manhattan. This is where immigrants are called for their asylum or deportation hearings, amid long lines of people waiting outside to pass through security checks and, later, crowds inside. Immigrants must figure out what courtroom they have to report to, and on time, otherwise they risk triggering deportation proceedings. Many arrive without legal representation. Their sense of urgency cannot be overstated, and the need for journalists to have access to the courts has never been greater. The atmosphere within this monolith of bureaucracy has worsened, in part due to the heightened presence of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Masked ICE agents have violently detained unsuspecting immigrants passing through the building, while elected officials have been arrested en masse and journalists reporting on immigrants’ stories have been trampled. Last week, two photojournalists were slammed to the floor in a hallway by ICE agents carting off an immigrant, leaving one of the photojournalists injured and in need of an ambulance. The New York Press Photographers Association condemned this as a “heinous act.”

“The role that the media performs is a critical one in society, and this attempt to intimidate and silence journalists is deeply troubling. It is the media’s job to report newsworthy events with integrity, professionalism, and without bias; the members of the press who were targeted by ICE agents were only there to do their jobs,” President Bruce Cotler said in a statement. We agree. We all must take a stand in defending our vital First Amendment rights.