NYC Officials Arrested Protesting ICE Conditions in Manhattan
NYC Officials Arrested Protesting ICE Conditions in Manhattan
Over a dozen New York City and state elected officials, including City Comptroller Brad Lander and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, were arrested Thursday afternoon in Lower Manhattan while protesting conditions at federal immigration courts. The officials were attempting to inspect alleged overcrowding and unsanitary conditions at a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) facility at 26 Federal Plaza.
Lander, along with ten other elected officials, was arrested by DHS agents after unfurling a “NYers Against ICE” banner and refusing to leave a hallway on the 10th floor, which houses a DHS lockup. They had demanded access to holding cells to ensure compliance with a preliminary injunction aimed at addressing inhumane conditions. After being denied entry for approximately 20 minutes, they staged their protest, leading to their arrest roughly 40 minutes later.
Among those arrested with Lander were State Senators Julia Salazar, Jabari Brisport, and Gustavo Rivera, as well as Assembly Members Marcela Mitaynes, Tony Simone, Jessica González-Rojas, Clare Valdez, Robert Carroll, Emily Gallagher, and Steven Raga. They were charged with misdemeanors for blocking an entrance, corridor, and elevator bank. Public Advocate Jumaane Williams was part of a separate group, including City Council Members Tiffany Cabán and Sandy Nurse, and Assembly Member Phara Souffant Forrest, arrested by NYPD officers outside the facility for attempting to block its driveway.
Following their release, Lander stated that the officials were putting their bodies on the line to observe conditions that New Yorkers are being “cruelly and lawlessly detained in.” Williams emphasized that their nonviolent civil disobedience aimed to demand oversight of ICE’s detention practices, highlighting the lack of privilege for those detained. This incident marks a significant escalation in ongoing efforts by elected officials to scrutinize federal immigration enforcement in New York City.
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