Several protesters have been arrested in downtown Manhattan after a nearly two-hour confrontation with federal authorities in which they barricaded the entrance of a parking garage, and prevented agents from exiting in vehicles, seemingly foiling an immigration raid.
As President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown continues, dozens of demonstrators Saturday yelled “ICE out of New York!” at police officers standing in front of a parking garage on the edge of Chinatown, according to footage of the standoff posted on social media.
Agents from Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security tried to exit the garage in vehicles when protesters gathered, blocking them with their bodies and piles of garbage bags, according to the New York Times.
A few federal agents — perched on a higher floor of the garage — watched on.
Just before noon Saturday, authorities responded to a 911 call of a “disorderly group” near Centre Street and Howard Street who were blocking the street and, in some cases, throwing debris, the New York Police Department told The Independent.
“They were instructed multiple times to disperse, and they did not comply. As a result, multiple individuals were taken into custody,” police said.
The NYPD didn’t provide the exact number of protesters arrested. The Independent has asked DHS for more information about whether a nearby raid had been planned.
But the police presence didn’t calm the situation. Clashes continued after federal agents finally exited the garage around 1.15 p.m., with protesters trying to block their vehicles with recycling bins and bags of trash, online footage shows.
The Times estimated that about 200 people surrounded the garage, which is part of a government building.
In late October, an immigration raid targeted vendors just a few blocks away on Chinatown’s famed Canal Street. The raid resulted in the arrests of nine migrants and four protesters.
Earlier this month, Trump met with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. Following their surprisingly warm meeting, Trump insisted that there wasn’t a need for federal presence in the Big Apple, after he repeatedly threatened to send troops there.
“Right now, other places need it more,” the president told reporters. “We had a very good meeting yesterday. We talked about that.”
Neither Mamdani nor Mayor Eric Adams have publicly commented on Saturday’s clash.
