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New York City and state officials were among dozens of people arrested at a demonstration opposing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Downtown Manhattan on Thursday.
It happened outside 26 Federal Plaza, an ICE holding facility that has been a source of controversy over the past several months.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, 71 people, including two state senators and nine state Assembly members, were arrested. DHS also said the building was later placed on lockdown due to a bomb threat.
Chopper 2 was over the scene around 4:45 p.m. Eastern Time, as protesters could be seen with their hands zip-tied behind their backs, waiting to board police buses.
Lawmakers say they were trying to conduct oversight of holding facility
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams said he was one of those taken into police custody.
In a statement, Williams said he was participating in “a nonviolent civil disobedience to demand oversight of ICE’s inhumane detention practices,” adding, “Together with the dozens of New Yorkers getting arrested today, I call for all levels of government to do what they can to support our immigrant communities and vulnerable, marginalized populations.”
Chopper 2
Assemblywoman Jessica González-Rojas said she was also detained, alongside City Comptroller Brad Lander and City Councilmember Tiffany Cabán.
According to González-Rojas, the lawmakers were trying to conduct oversight of the ICE holding facility to make sure conditions were in compliance with a preliminary injunction ruling handed down by a judge Wednesday.
“We put our bodies on the line for the lives and freedom of thousands of New Yorkers who have been illegally kidnapped and detained by ICE,” she said in a statement, in part.
They have since been released.
“Vulnerable communities are in danger. And, in history when we see this happening, what we know is that people who have a little bit more privilege have to do a little bit more to protect those who don’t,” Williams said, speaking outside NYPD headquarters.
DHS calls protest “a stunt” by politicians
In a statement, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin called the protest “a stunt in an attempt to get their 15 minutes of fame while endangering DHS personnel and detainees.”
She accused Lander and protesters of obstructing law enforcement and causing a scene.
“The men and women of ICE put their lives on the line every day to arrest violent criminal illegal aliens to protect and defend the lives of American citizens. This type of rhetoric is contributing to the 1000% surge in assaults of ICE officers through this repeated vilification and demonization of ICE,” McLaughlin said in a statement, in part.
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