Cops cuffed 65 people who stormed a Hilton hotel in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday night and occupied its lobby to protest ongoing violent ICE operations in Minnesota and beyond.
The incident unfolded just before 6 p.m. on Jan. 27, when more than 100 demonstrators in all flooded the lobby of the Hilton Garden Inn in Tribeca. The large group rushed inside and removed their coats to reveal shirts reading “Abolish ICE” and “Hilton Houses ICE.”
According to protesters, they looked to stand in solidarity with Minneapolis by protesting the Hilton chain for allegedly allowing ICE agents from beyond the Land of 10,000 Lakes to stay at their properties.
Touting signs and blowing whistles — something many around the country have used to warn immigrants of the arrival of federal agents — they also held up photographs of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two U.S. citizens shot to death this month by ICE agents in Minnesota.
Using a megaphone, one masked protester compared ICE agents to the Nazi regime, and vowed that in the end, those responsible for the ongoing ICE operations would eventually face justice.
“How many of you are ready for the new Nuremberg trials?” he asked.
After a standoff lasting several hours, the NYPD entered the lobby and demanded the group exit the building or face arrest. While some heeded the commands, others hunkered down and refused to budge.
Members of the NYPD’s Strategic Response Group then moved in and began cuffing protesters. Those who did not go quietly away in handcuffs were lifted out of the lobby by cops.
According to NYPD sources, 65 people in total were arrested at the Hilton Tuesday night and loaded onto an awaiting bus for processing.
