Law enforcement evacuated 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan on Thursday after envelopes containing white powder were discovered.
The building houses several federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, Homeland Security, and ICE.
From CBS News:
A suspicious white powder that forced the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in New York City to evacuate does not appear to be hazardous, Mayor Eric Adams said Friday.
Adams said preliminary testing of the powder discovered at 26 Federal Plaza, which houses Department of Homeland Security and ICE offices in Lower Manhattan, showed no dangerous substance was involved.
CBS News New York has reached out to the FBI, which is leading the investigation, and DHS about the preliminary test results.
Hazmat teams responded late Thursday afternoon to the federal building after the mystery powder was found inside envelopes in a mailroom.
Some people in the building were evacuated, while others were ordered to shelter in place after at least two people were exposed to the substance, officials said.
BREAKING NEWS OUT OF NEW YORK. Envelopes filled with a suspicious white powder have been discovered inside 26 Federal Plaza, a major federal building that also houses an ICE Detention Center. Hazmat teams and firefighters are on the scene, with Mayor Adams confirming they are… pic.twitter.com/CZJvXmrnY9
— One America News (@OANN) August 14, 2025
The envelopes was sent to the FBI headquarters in Quantico, Virginia, for testing, but no injuries were reported at the scene.
🚨 JUST IN: Suspicious White Powder Found at NYC ICE Center 💥 DEMS Put Our Heroes in Danger 😡 https://t.co/W27JSYlEbF pic.twitter.com/cs2GOOrdEc
— Frontier Brief (@Frontierbrief) August 15, 2025
Christopher Raia, the FBI assistant director at the New York field office, told ABC News that “most of these incidents turn out to be nothing. However, this matter is not going to be taken lightly.”
Initial testing showed that the powder was boric acid, a substance typically used in pesticides. Mayor Adams vowed to “make sure the person responsible will be brought to justice.”
ICE uses the building to hold illegal immigrants that its agents have detained on the 10th floor. It has been the site of multiple protests against ICE’s operations in the city as the Trump administration pursues its mass deportation efforts.