Multiple arrested as protesters block federal agents at Manhattan garage

By Emma Tucker, Mark Morales, CNN

(CNN) — More than a dozen demonstrators were arrested in lower Manhattan on Saturday after their attempts to stop federal agents from conducting immigration and enforcement activities, according to a law enforcement official.

The group of protesters chanted “ICE out of New York” in footage that showed them locking arms to form a barrier blocking federal agents from exiting the garage in their car. Some grabbed planters from the roadway and hurled them at federal vehicles, the official said. The confrontations prompted some officers to deploy what appeared to be pepper spray to subdue demonstrators, the official added.

The incident is the latest in an array of protests that have taken place across the country between federal agents and demonstrators who are fighting against the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.

Saturday’s protest took place just down the street from Foley Square, where there was a larger demonstration last month. October’s protest came the day after a chaotic ICE raid on Chinatown’s Canal Street – a popular and highly trafficked area well-known for its street vendors who sell counterfeit designer goods.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said individuals “dressed in black clothing with backpacks, face masks, and goggles showed up and began to obstruct federal law enforcement officers” after social media posts called “agitators to ICE’s location” in the city.

Publicizing details about the location of ICE agents, DHS said, puts “a target” on their backs, citing an increase in assaults against officers. “We won’t let violent rioters slow us down and anyone who assaults law enforcement will be prosecuted,” the spokesperson said.

Ricky Patel, special agent in charge of New York’s Homeland Security Investigations office, apologized in a call with New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch on Saturday for how the enforcement action unfolded, two law enforcement officials briefed on the call said. Tisch criticized the action for putting the public, federal agents and officers at risk, the officials said.

Tisch warned Patel that the displays of force by federal agents intending to cause chaos and disorder on city streets need to stop because they will lead to someone getting hurt, one of the officials familiar with the conversation.

CNN has reached out to HSI for further information.

The incident unfolded just before noon when NYPD officers responded to a 911 call for a “disorderly group” near Chinatown and observed multiple people blocking the street and exits at different locations and “throwing debris,” the agency said.

“They were instructed multiple times to disperse, and they did not comply. As a result, multiple individuals were taken into custody,” the NYPD said in a statement.

The situation remained peaceful at first as the crowd of protesters gathered in front of a closed garage before moving to the corner of the street, chanting “ICE out of New York” and shouting at police officers who did not engage. Federal officers at the scene were armed and many of them wore face coverings.

At one point, the garage opened and a barrier of protesters continued chanting while blocking a vehicle from exiting. The group also created a blockade with piles of wood and cardboard from a construction dumpster and trash bins, according to videos from the scene.

As the car moved out of the garage, protesters chased and shouted at it while police officers tried to stop them and tackled at least one protester who was later released.

City Council member Julie Menin called federal immigration agents’ actions “utterly irresponsible” after the incident in a statement on X.

“Today, ICE threatened the public’s safety yet again — and this time, their actions created a dangerous situation for both the public and our NYPD officers,” she said.

The New York Immigration Coalition, which represents over 200 immigrant and refugee rights groups statewide, criticized law enforcement’s response to protesters in a statement and called for the immediate release of those arrested at the demonstration.

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This story has been updated with new developments.