Multiple people were arrested during an anti-ICE demonstration in Lower Manhattan.
It started on 209 Centre Street around noon on Saturday. According to the NYPD, protesters blocked streets, buildings and exits.
The area has been a hotbed for Federal law enforcement activity over the last month or so, with ICE cracking down on Canal Street. On Saturday afternoon, protesters converged on a garage apparently used by authorities – and things got heated.
The NYPD arrived and started making arrests after they did not disperse and some started throwing debris. They say a crowd of anti-ICE protesters began blocking the street and disrupting a convoy of what were apparently Federal vans attempting to exit the garage.
A total of 15 arrests were made — an action condemned by the New York Immigration Coalition.
“There’s a report right now that we’re following up on of an older gentleman and his daughter who were arrested who had nothing to do with anything and were just walking. So this is a moment for all of us to ask the question of ‘does the NYPD protect New York City residents or is it going to continue to harm them through collaborating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement?'” said Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO- of the New York Immigration Coalition.
Sources tell Eyewitness News the special agent in charge of the New York Homeland Security Field Office Ricky Patel called NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch later in the afternoon to apologize for what happened.
Tisch told Patel it was ‘unacceptable’ and put Federal agents and police officers in harm’s way — and if this activity continues someone will get hurt. ‘Agitators’ according to Homeland Security, were summoned to the location by way of social media.
Protesters said they were trying to prevent another large-scale ICE raid, at least two of which were conducted on Canal Street over the past month.
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition team released a statement that reads, in part,
“The Mayor-elect has made it clear – including to the President – that these raids are cruel and inhumane, and fail to advance genuine public safety.”
Eyewitness News also reached out to the Adams Administration for comment.
The Department of Homeland Security has not yet released an official statement on specifically what kind of Federal activity was going on in the area on Saturday.
———-
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* More Manhattan news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
* Follow us on YouTube
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
