A handful of protesters dressed as the Statue of Liberty and Lady Justice were arrested in front of Lower Manhattan’s immigration court Monday in protest of ICE.
A legion of NYPD officers flooded Broadway and Thomas Street just after noon on Aug. 11 after dozens of demonstrators — mostly seniors — stood in the roadway outside of 26 Federal Plaza and blocked traffic. The group known as Extinction Rebellion said they were looking to raise awareness over what they say are federal kidnappings taking place inside of the facility.
“The damage, the crimes that are occurring in this building, cannot be undone by laws. It’s going to take years and years to right the wrongs that are occurring here every day,” a protester who gave his name as Matthew said. “There is no word, there is no law that can make it right. A father being taken from his family, a mother being taken from her family, a child being taken from their parents. This is beyond immoral.”
The protesters denounced three months of immigrants attending their legally mandated court hearings only to be apprehended by masked ICE agents and whisked into stairwells or elevators before being held on the 10th floor.
In addition to dressing up as United States symbols, the fuming protesters carried the Star-Spangled Banner upside down to exhibit their disgust and images of those who have perished while in ICE detention, along with lugging a plastic skeleton donning an ICE outfit.
“We hear people are being held without showers, medication, change of clothes, sleeping on floors with minimal food. We want them free,” another protester who identified herself as Meg said.
It took mere minutes after the group stood in the roadway for cops to rush in and begin cuffing them. During the chaos, the officers also pushed back credentialed journalists from the scene under threat of arrest, preventing photographers from capturing the arrests. The sidewalks were inundated with officers, including access to the sidewalk, blocking the press from seeing the majority of what was taking place.
“We are legally allowed to capture this,” one photographer said. However, the pleas fell on deaf ears.
According to police sources, ten people were arrested and they are likely to be released with a summons.
