Program housing · 11/07/2026
Judge orders NYC to give ICE names of some Bronx shelter residents
A federal judge ruled that New York City must give ICE the names and birth dates of certain residents of a Bronx homeless shelter. ICE limited the request to people with serious criminal histories and agreed to a special master. The city had called the subpoena a fishing expedition that undermines its sanctuary laws. City Hall did not immediately comment.
Reported by Daily NewsRead the original ↗
What happened
A federal judge has ordered New York City to give Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) the names and birth dates of certain residents of a city-run homeless shelter in the Bronx. U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan issued the 12-page decision on Friday, 11/06/2026. He enforced an ICE administrative subpoena and wrote that the city "has not shown that producing this list would be unduly burdensome." He gave the city two weeks to devise a plan for handing over the names.
Gothamist reported that the order covers certain male residents of a shelter on Bruckner Boulevard in the South Bronx. The order also covers any additional records that would help ICE identify them. Gothamist described the site as a converted warehouse that sleeps more than 2,000 people. It is the city's last emergency migrant housing facility. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said earlier in 2026 that he plans to phase it out by the end of the year.
ICE says it needs the list to investigate whether any residents are subject to deportation. The agency narrowed its request to residents with "certain serious criminal histories." A special master will gather and provide only those names. The Daily News said ICE first served the city in 2025, seeking full names and birth dates of all residents at two city shelters. Gothamist reported that ICE filed four separate subpoena requests about shelter residents starting in 2025. The city fought them, calling one "an improper fishing expedition lacking any legitimate investigative purpose."
The city also argued the request was political and aimed to undermine its sanctuary laws. Judge Kaplan called that "speculation" unsupported by the record. The New York Immigration Coalition is urging the city to appeal. The Daily News said City Hall did not immediately respond. Gothamist said the mayor's office did not respond to multiple requests for comment. In the month before this ruling, a Brooklyn federal judge dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit, filed in 2025, that sought to end the city's sanctuary protections.
Key facts
- Ruling date
- 11/06/2026
- Judge
- U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan
- Location
- City-run shelter on Bruckner Boulevard, South Bronx (per Gothamist)
- Shelter size
- Sleeps more than 2,000 (per Gothamist)
- Information ordered
- Names, birth dates and identifying records of certain male residents with serious criminal histories
- Process
- A special master will identify only residents with serious criminal histories
- Deadline
- City has two weeks from the ruling to devise a plan for handing over the names
- Sanctuary laws
- Passed under Mayor de Blasio in 2014; they limit city cooperation with federal immigration enforcement
What it means
Tenants and voucher holders
The order covers certain male residents of one Bronx shelter on Bruckner Boulevard who have serious criminal histories, not all shelter residents. The city has not said whether it will appeal.
Caseworkers
Clients at the Bruckner Boulevard shelter may have questions about this ruling. The order is limited to residents a special master identifies as having serious criminal histories. The city had two weeks from the ruling to propose how it will comply.
Landlords
The ruling does not directly involve private landlords or tenancies. The mayor has said this shelter is set to be phased out by the end of the year.
The highlights
- Judge Lewis A. Kaplan enforced the subpoena in a 12-page decision.
- ICE narrowed its request to residents with serious criminal histories.
- A special master will gather the names, and the city has two weeks to plan the handover.
Why it matters Caseworkers
Shelter residents and the caseworkers serving them may face new questions about how shelter records can be shared with federal immigration agents.
What to do: Track the city's handover plan, due in two weeks, before advising shelter clients.
Not known yet
- Whether the city will appeal the ruling
- How many residents fall under the "serious criminal histories" standard and how that is defined
- When the list will actually be handed to ICE
- Whether ICE's other subpoenas could reach other city shelters
Background
An administrative subpoena is issued by a federal agency itself, not by a judge. If the recipient refuses, the agency can ask a federal court to enforce it, and courts generally ask whether the request is relevant to a legitimate investigation and not unduly burdensome. New York City's sanctuary laws limit how city agencies and staff share information and cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. A federal court order can still require the city to produce specific records.
Also drawn from: Federal judge rules Mamdani administration must give ICE names of Bronx shelter residents (Gothamist)
Summary written by Bulwark from Daily News’s reporting. The original story is at nydailynews.com. This is general information, not legal advice.
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