NEW YORK: Approximately a dozen New York state and local elected officials were arrested on Thursday during protests at a Manhattan building housing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement holding cells.
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander and ten state lawmakers were taken into custody inside 26 Federal Plaza after being denied entry to inspect the tenth-floor detention facilities.
Protest organisers stated the group aimed to ensure compliance with a court order requiring ICE to improve conditions at the lockup.
The city’s public advocate Jumaane Williams led another group of several dozen anti-ICE protesters who blocked the building’s garage entrance while chanting pro-immigrant slogans.
Organisers confirmed more than 75 people were detained by city police and federal agents during both gatherings.
ICE assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin placed the overall arrest figure at 71 individuals.
This incident represents the latest clash between federal authorities and Democratic politicians opposing President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
Lander had previously been detained in June inside the same building while escorting a man targeted by ICE for arrest.
McLaughlin described Lander’s group as arriving with agitators and media before obstructing law enforcement and causing a scene.
She stated the entire building was placed under lockdown afterward due to a bomb threat.
The elected officials visited seeking to conduct oversight of detention conditions following a federal judge’s preliminary injunction.
The 84-page court order cited complaints of unsanitary and overcrowded conditions with up to 90 detainees packed into 20-square-meter rooms.
Detainees were reportedly forced to sleep on concrete floors without access to bathing facilities or basic hygiene supplies.
Harold Solis of Make the Road New York declared the court had made it clear such degrading treatment was illegal.
McLaughlin noted detainees included immigrants subject to deportation for criminal convictions including weapons offenses and drug trafficking.
A New York Police Department spokesperson confirmed multiple arrests but no mention of charges emerged from any party. – Reuters
