ICE asked for the names of everyone at a Bronx homeless shelter. A judge rules NYC must hand over only residents with ‘serious criminal histories’
A federal judge decided that New York City must share the names and birthdays of specific residents at a Bronx homeless shelter with federal immigration officials, according to Gothamist. US District Judge Lewis Kaplan issued the ruling after months of disagreement between the federal government and Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration, which has renewed its push to abolish ICE.
The decision forces the city to comply with an ICE subpoena covering the Bruckner shelter in Mott Haven. Judge Kaplan noted in the ruling that the city failed to prove that providing this data would be a heavy task. “The City has not shown that producing this list would be unduly burdensome,” Kaplan wrote.
ICE initially wanted the names of everyone staying at the facility. However, under the ruling, a special master will instead identify only residents with “serious criminal histories,” a screening process the federal government reportedly accepted. That is a much narrower group than the one covered by the original request.
ICE originally wanted the name of every man at the Bronx shelter
The order could settle the latest clash in a city where Mamdani has vowed to block Trump’s ICE surge. ICE claims it needs the Bronx shelter data for an investigation into whether any residents may be subject to deportation. The mayor’s office did not respond to the outlet’s requests for comment.
The city has pushed back against these efforts for a while. Officials rejected an earlier request for resident data, calling it “a fishing expedition lacking any legitimate investigative purpose,” according to the ruling. ICE began sending subpoenas for shelter residents’ information in August 2025, months before Mamdani took office, and has issued four in total.
The city also argued that the Bronx shelter request was more political than investigative. However, Kaplan reportedly found little support for that claim. The New York Immigration Coalition is now urging City Hall to appeal, as its president and CEO, Murad Awawdeh, said sharing data for civil immigration enforcement is illegal under local law.
The Bronx shelter is a large facility with 2,200 beds. The city created it by converting a vacant warehouse in the South Bronx, and it opened in February 2025. The site drew strong opposition from residents when it first opened, and it took in men moved from the tent city on Randall’s Island.
ICE couldn’t enforce its subpoena without a court order
ICE subpoenas are typically issued under a federal immigration statute and are signed by an ICE officer rather than a judge, according to an American Civil Liberties Union guide. The guide explains that recipients face no penalty for ignoring one unless a court orders them to comply. That is why the government asked Kaplan to compel the city.
Courts also give agencies wide latitude in these disputes. As a judge’s review of an administrative subpoena is narrow, Kaplan reportedly deferred to ICE’s claim that the records are relevant unless it is obviously wrong. That standard appears to have weighed heavily against the city’s argument about political motives.
The Bronx shelter was already on its way out before the ruling. A Department of Social Services action plan released in February calls for moving its residents, about 1,950 at the time, into standard Department of Homeless Services facilities. The city is phasing out its emergency migrant sites, as they never had to meet regular shelter standards.
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