No vacancy: 65 anti-ICE protesters arrested after lobby protest inside Lower Manhattan Hilton hotel, NYPD says

Mayor Zohran Mamdani “commended” the 65 people cops cuffed for storming a Hilton hotel in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday night, occupying 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.

On Wednesday, Zohran Mamdani’s team stated that the mayor commended the protesters for their actions and the police department for its nonviolent response.

“Mayor Mamdani commends the protestors who exercised their right to protest against ICE today. As he has said, ICE is a rogue agency that has repeatedly carried out cruel, inhumane, and lawless raids and arrests of American citizens,” his spokesperson said in a statement. “The Mayor is also pleased with the NYPD’s response to the protest and that today’s demonstration concluded without violence.”

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.

According to protesters, they looked to stand in solidarity with Minneapolis by protesting the Hilton for allegedly boarding ICE agents.Photo by Dean Moses

Touting signs and blowing whistles — something many around the country have used to warn immigrants of the arrival of Feds.Photo by Dean Moses

police entered the lobby and demanded the group exit the buildingPhoto by Dean Moses

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, during which police warned protesters to leave or face arrest, the NYPD entered the lobby and began cuffing those inside. 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. At least two individuals who did not go quietly and refused to move 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, including former mayor Bill de Blasio’s son Dante de Blasio. Most were slapped with a summons for trespassing and disorderly conduct.

According to NYPD sources, some 65 people were arrested and loaded onto an awaiting bus.Photo by Dean Moses

Former mayor Bill de Blasio’s son Dante de Blasio was among those cuffed.Photo by Dean Moses

According to NYPD sources, some 65 people were arrested and loaded onto an awaiting bus.Photo by Dean Moses

According to NYPD sources, some 65 people were arrested and loaded onto an awaiting bus.Photo by Dean Moses

According to NYPD sources, some 65 people were arrested and loaded onto an awaiting bus.Photo by Dean Moses

According to NYPD sources, some 65 people were arrested and loaded onto an awaiting bus.Photo by Dean Moses