Hundreds protest outside ICE headquarters in New York City

Straits Times

a day ago

NYPD Strategic Response Group units arrest protesters as they block an entrance to the Federal building on Broadway in New York. PHOTO: VICTOR J. BLUE/NYTIMES
Protesters block an entrance to the Federal building on Broadway after a rally against ICE arrests at Foley Square in New York on June 10. PHOTO: VICTOR J. BLUE/NYTIMES
NEW YORK – Hundreds of protesters demonstrated in lower Manhattan on the evening of June 10 against President Donald Trump's escalating immigration crackdown, continuing several days of protests that began more than 3,850km away in Los Angeles.
The demonstrators rallied at Foley Square, near a large government building that houses federal immigration offices and the city's main immigration court, which has become a flash point as the Trump administration ramps up the arrest of migrants in courthouses.
Shortly after 6pm, hundreds moved into streets that snake through the lower Manhattan neighborhood that is home to federal buildings, marching about 1.5km north toward another immigration court on Varick Street. They raised bright yellow signs that said 'ICE out of NYC' in Spanish and English.
A separate group stayed behind and spread out around the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office near Foley Square.
The crowd there grew increasingly agitated as night fell, with some chanting 'Nazi scum' and taunting police officers.
Dozens of officers in riot gear flanked the protesters in an apparent effort to facilitate traffic, leading to the arrest of a number of demonstrators who were escorted away with their hands bound in zip ties throughout the evening.
After 10pm, a dwindling crowd of about 100 protesters clashed with police officers near Foley Square, with some briefly marching downtown toward the entrance of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Officers sought to keep people on sidewalks, pushing some demonstrators to the ground as they arrested them and using pepper spray during some of the arrests. Some people shouted and shoved the officers as they were led away in handcuffs.
As Mr Trump deployed National Guard troops and Marines to California, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat who has largely aligned himself with Mr Trump's immigration agenda, said on June 10 that he did not foresee Mr Trump sending the military to the city.
'If there's ever a need to go beyond the manpower that we have, there's other ways you do it before you have to come with the look of a military operation,' Mr Adams said, citing the size and experience of New York City's police force.
The rally on June 10 appeared to be larger than protests in New York during the past few days. Those earlier demonstrations were tense, resulting in arrests and small confrontations with law enforcement, but they did not devolve into the visceral scenes of chaos that appeared episodically in Los Angeles.
While the protests in Los Angeles were largely peaceful, protesters and federal officers have engaged in violent clashes, with officers shooting flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets at protesters, who have thrown rocks, glass bottles and fireworks at the officers and have burned vehicles.
NYPD Strategic Response Group units arrest protesters as they block an entrance to the Federal building in New York on June 10, 2025.
PHOTO: VICTOR J. BLUE/NYTIMES
In New York, demonstrators coalesced near 26 Federal Plaza, a 41-storey federal building just a few blocks from City Hall with one of the city's three immigration courts. Dozens of migrants showing up for hearings have been detained by federal agents at the courthouse in June, sparking pushback from Democrats and drawing activists to the building. The imposing skyscraper also houses the ICE field office in New York.
On June 10, Ms Andrea Montiel, 31, whose parents are Mexican immigrants, said she showed up at the rally on behalf of family and friends who she said were too worried about their immigration status to demonstrate publicly.
'I think we're really here just because we hope we can make a difference and show ICE is not welcome,' she said, adding that New York and Los Angeles were connected by their large Hispanic populations. 'We are one community despite the distance.'
After speeches at the rally, which was organised by a coalition of unions and immigration groups, the crowd grew more disorganized as protesters, many of them masked, broke off to march on city streets, chanting 'Abolish ICE' and waving Mexican and Palestinian flags.
Ms Eva Stokes, 21, said she marched in support of her father, who is an immigrant from Mexico.
'My father could get deported at any time,' Ms Stokes said with tears filling her eyes. 'He already has been summoned, and, you know, it's a scary process. I don't want to feel like I'm going to lose my dad.'
As nightfall approached, one group of about 50 protesters reached Washington Square Park, dancing and clapping by the park's fountain.
People protest against recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests in the Columbia Heights neighborhood in Washington on June 10.
PHOTO: ERIC LEE/NYTIMES
The first day of demonstrations in New York was June 7 , when more than 100 protesters gathered outside 26 Federal Plaza, where they clashed with police officers after the protesters tried to block ICE vehicles carrying detained migrants. Police said 22 people were taken into custody as officers dispersed the crowd.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, quickly praised the Police Department's response.
'Thankfully, unlike in Los Angeles, the local police department quickly responded to the riots,' DHS said in a statement.
On June 9, after Mr Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard members to Los Angeles, demonstrators took over the lobby of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in New York, demanding the release of immigrants sent to a notorious maximum-security prison in El Salvador.
The Police Department arrested at least 24 protesters during that demonstration.
Later in the day, as concerns mounted that the protests in New York could spiral out of control, Mr Adams issued brief remarks alongside police Commissioner Jessica Tisch. The mayor said that he respected the right of New Yorkers to protest peacefully but vowed that 'we will not allow violence and lawlessness'.
'The escalation of protests in Los Angeles over the last couple of days is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our city,' Mr Adams said.
Ms Tisch said that any attack against police officers would 'be met by a swift and decisive response by the NYPD.'
The city leaders gave the remarks just as a disjointed group of 200 protesters gathered near 26 Federal Plaza for a 'ICE out of NYC' demonstration on the evening of June 9, leading to seven arrests. NYTIMES
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