At least 25 protesters were arrested at Trump Tower Thursday afternoon after overtaking the lobby of the building, police said.
Dozens of protesters with Rise and Resist stormed the building around 1 p.m. and staged a sit-in while others unfurled three banners that said, “No Ban,” “No Wall” and “No Raids.”
Organizers said the action was in support of refugees, immigrants and their families as well as to “protest the administration’s immigration policies.”
“My grandparents, who fled Eastern Europe looking for both religious freedom and economic opportunity, taught me to respect all people regardless of their race, nationality, or religion,” said protest organizer Jamie Bauer. “I’m honoring them today by saying loud and clear that all immigrants are welcome in the United States.”
Several protesters were seen being placed into a police van outside the famed tower around 2:15 p.m.
One man sat on the ground wearing a shirt that said “No wall” while other protesters chanted “No ban, no raids, no wall,” as they stood on 57th Street, hands cuffed in plastic zip ties.
Among the recent policies that organizers wanted to draw attention to were President Donald Trump’s travel bans, his proposed border wall with Mexico and the “aggressive” increase in immigration raids, organizers said in a news release.
“We oppose and reject the Trump administration’s hateful policies towards immigrants and refugees,” said protester Alexis Danzig.
Upper West Side resident Ann Shirazi, 72, was inside when people were arrested.
“It’s very important for me to be here. We have a very, very dangerous person in the White House,” she said. “It is totally unstable. It is filled with hatred.”
Shirazi said about 100 leaflets were thrown from the balcony of the atrium with the words “no ban, no wall, no raids” written in bold letters.
“It was a beautiful sight to behold,” she said.
Trump lived in the building before he took office in January. His campaign and transition teams have both operated out of the building over the past few years. First lady Melania Trump and their son Barron still reside there.
Although Trump Tower is a private building, the lobby and atrium area is considered public space thanks to a deal Trump made with the city during its development phase.
