Hundreds of protesters protested in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday night against President Trump's escalating immigration crackdown, which lasted for several days, more than 2,400 miles in Los Angeles.
Demonstrators rally in Foley Square, near which houses the Federal Immigration Bureau and the city's main immigration court, has become a flash point as the Trump administration intensifies arrests of immigrants in court.
Shortly after 6 p.m., hundreds of people moved into the street winding through the lower Manhattan, home to the federal building, about a mile northward towards another immigration court on Warrick Street. They presented bright yellow signs with the words “New York City Ice” in Spanish and English.
A separate group stayed behind and spread around the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office near Forley Square. As night fell, the crowds there became more and more excited, some shouting “Nazi scum” and ridicule of the police. The dozens of officers of the protesters were apparently trying to facilitate traffic on the part of the protesters, resulting in the arrest of many protesters who were accompanied by zippers throughout the night.
After 10 p.m., about 100 protesters clashed with police near Foley Square, with Some briefly marched downtown towards the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridge. The officers tried to leave people on the sidewalk, arresting some demonstrators during some arrests and using pepper spray on the ground. Some people shouted and pushed the officers as they were handcuffed.
When Mr. Trump deployed the National Guard and Marines to California, Democratic Mayor Eric Adams was largely aligned with Mr. Trump’s immigration agenda.
“If it is necessary to go beyond the human power we have, then you have other ways to look at military operations,” Mr. Adams said.
Over the past few days, Tuesday night’s rally seemed to be bigger than the protests in New York. Those earlier demonstrations were tense, leading to arrests and small confrontations with law enforcement, but they were not trapped in the chaos of the Los Angeles plot.
While protests in Los Angeles were basically peaceful, protesters and federal officers clashed violently, with officers firing flashing grenades and rubber bullets at protesters, protesters threw rocks, glass bottles and fireworks at officers, and burning vehicles.
In New York, demonstrators merged near 26 Federal Plaza, a 41-story federal building just a few blocks from City Hall, one of which is one of three immigration courts in the city. Federal agents in the court detained dozens of immigrants for hearings this month, sparking a counterattack from Democrats and attracting radicals to the buildings. The majestic skyscrapers also have an ice rink office in New York.
Andrea Montiel, 31, whose parents were Mexican immigrants on Tuesday said she appeared at the rally on behalf of her family and friends and said she was too worried about their immigration status to be publicly displayed.
“I think we’re really here because we hope we can make a difference is not welcome,” she said, adding that New York and Los Angeles are connected to their large Hispanic population. “We are a community despite the distance.”
After a speech at a rally organized by a coalition of trade unions and immigration groups, the crowd grew chaotic with protesters, many of whom covered up, breaking into March on city streets, chanting “abolition of ice” and waving the flags of Mexico and Palestinian.
Eva Stokes, 21, said she marched to support her father, an immigrant from Mexico.
Ms. Stokes' tears filled her eyes, “My father can be deported at any time.” “He has been called, you know, it's a terrible process. I don't want to feel like I'll lose my dad.”
As night fell, a group of about 50 protesters arrived at Washington Square Park to dance and applaud the park’s fountain.
The first day of the demonstration in New York was Saturday, when more than 100 protesters gathered outside 26 Federal Plaza and clashed with police after protesters tried to stop carrying ice trucks of detained immigrants. Police said 22 people were detained when police dispersed the crowds.
The Department of Homeland Security, which is in charge of ICE, quickly praised the police department's response. “Thankfully, unlike Los Angeles, the local police department quickly responded to the riots,” the DHS said in a statement.
Demonstrators took over the halls of Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue to demand the release of immigrants sent to El Salvador’s notorious highest security prison on Monday after Trump ordered 2,000 National Guard members to travel to Los Angeles. During the demonstration, the police department arrested at least 24 protesters.
Later that day, Mr. Adams made brief remarks with police commissioner Jessica S. Tisch, fearing that New York's protests might get out of control. The mayor said he respects the New Yorkers’ right to protest peacefully but vows “We will not allow violence and illegal acts.”
“In the past few days, escalating protests in Los Angeles has been unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our city,” Mr. Adams said. Commissioner Teech said any attack on police officers would be “achieved through the quick and decisive response of the New York Police Department.”
City leaders spoke like a group of disconnected 200 protesters gathered Monday night at a “out of the ice” demonstration near 26 federal squares near Federal Plaza, resulting in seven arrests.
Cassidy Jensen,,,,, Samantha Latson,,,,, Anna Le,,,,, Emmett Lindner and Chelsia Ross Masius Contribution report.
