Varick Street Detention Center in NYC Closing

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“USICE”) has decided to close the detention center it re-opened a few years ago in New York City.  According to a New York Times article today, the Varick Street detention center located at 201 Varick Street in lower Manhattan will be closing next month.

Detainees from the Varick Street detention center will be transferred to facilities in New Jersey.

According to USICE officials, it is too expensive to keep detained aliens in New York City.  They can be detained at half the cost in New Jersey.

Varick Street detention center was a fully functioning detention center prior to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.  After the 9/11 attacks, the detention center was closed down.  In February 2008, it was renovated and reopened to accommodate the processing of new detainees.

Ruchi Thaker
Posted in Immigration Detention.