The Justice Department is considering providing toothbrushes to immigrants held at an immigration facility in Manhattan. Detainees have claimed that these toothbrushes could potentially be used as hazardous “weapons.”
This issue arose after a judge mandated improvements to the conditions at the jail located at 26 Federal Squares, responding to complaints about asylum seekers being kept in unclean and overcrowded cells.
Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for Manhattan, noted that his office sees toothbrushes as easily convertible to weapons. The preference, according to their statement, would be to supply “tooth cleaning wipes” instead.
The federal government has not provided any evidence of toothbrushes being used as weapons in these situations.
While it is common for incarcerated individuals to modify items like toothbrushes, it’s hard to gauge the actual threat level, especially since they can be bought for as little as 85 cents at Brooklyn’s well-known metropolitan detention center.
On Thursday, Judge Lewis Kaplan temporarily prohibited the use of toothbrushes at the facility, pending more discussions.
Immigration attorneys have responded in court documents, stating that there is no valid reason to deny those detained at 26 Federal Squares basic hygiene products, as they frequently access other immigration facilities across the U.S.
This toothbrush debate coincides with reports of ICE agents frequently arresting immigrants outside mandated court hearings in the same federal building.
Criticism arose from another federal judge, who accused the government of treating detention as a frivolous game, which he deemed unconstitutional.
Judge Dale Ho articulated his concerns in a ruling related to the case of Carlos Javier Lopez Benitez, a Paraguayan worker with no criminal history, who was arrested outside immigration court in July.
