A group of anti-ICE protesters stormed Trump Tower on Monday to demand the return of immigrants "kidnapped" by the Trump administration.
The small demonstration of "mostly grey-haired" protesters, the New York Post notes, was a muted echo of the migrant riots that have raged for days in Los Angeles.
The New York Police Department arrested 24 people who occupied the lobby of Trump's iconic Fifth Avenue building. There was no immediate report of charges being filed.
The protesters voiced complaints about aliens who have been deported to El Salvador's infamous CECOT prison without "due process". The Trump administration brought one of those immigrants, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, back to the United States last week to face charges of human trafficking.
“We are demanding that the administration bring back everyone from CECOT to the United States, release them ICE custody, return them to their homes and families and allow them their day in court,” the protesters said.
The protesters ignored multiple police commands to disperse, and the cops ended up dragging them out in zip-ties.
"This is the New York City Police Department. You are occupying these premises unlawfully and without permission. I am ordering you to leave these premises now. If you refuse to leave, you may be subject to arrest,” police said.
Anti-ICE demonstrations have been spreading across the country after an explosion of violent unrest in Los Angeles over the weekend. Trump has deployed 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to protect federal property and restore order in the nation's second-largest city, where rioters have blocked roads and attacked law enforcement with concrete blocks and fireworks.
The protests in Los Angeles have been the largest, and most violent, to date in response to Trump's second-term immigration crackdown. Episodes of lawlessness have been observed on a smaller scale in other cities, including New York, where mobs of rioters have also attempted to block ICE operations around federal buildings.
New York mayor Eric Adams has warned that anarchy in the Big Apple will not be tolerated.
“The escalation of protests in Los Angeles over the last couple of days is unacceptable and would not be tolerated if attempted in our city,” Adams said during a press conference Monday alongside NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Despite the violent backlash ICE has received, more than half of voters approve of Trump's deportation plans, a new CBS poll found.
