Dozens arrested in New York after anti-ICE hotel sit-in protest

New York City police detained dozens of demonstrators on Tuesday evening after they occupied the lobby of a hotel in Manhattan's TriBeCa neighborhood, protesting its alleged role in housing federal immigration agents. The action is part of a growing wave of dissent targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and its supporting infrastructure following recent deadly incidents in Minnesota.

The Hotel Lobby Sit-In and Police Response

According to a report in The New York Times, more than 100 protesters gathered inside the Hilton Garden Inn on Sixth Avenue near Canal Street. Wearing black t-shirts with anti-ICE slogans, the group chanted and accused the Hilton chain of providing accommodation to agents involved in the Trump administration's immigration enforcement operations. Hotel staff and guests appeared surprised by the sudden demonstration. Police officers entered the lobby, warning that anyone refusing to leave would be arrested. While many protesters and reporters exited, approximately 50 individuals remained seated. Officers from the NYPD's Strategic Response Group then moved in to make arrests. Police confirmed "multiple" arrests but did not immediately provide a precise number or detail the charges.

Direct Link to Minneapolis Shootings

The Manhattan protest is a direct extension of the upheaval in Minneapolis, where two American citizens were fatally shot in separate incidents involving ICE and Border Patrol agents this month. The victims, Renee Nicole Macklin Good, a mother of three, and Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an intensive care nurse, have become focal points for national anger. The US Department of Homeland Security claims both individuals posed a threat to agents, an assertion challenged by politicians, journalists, and civil rights groups who cite video evidence from the scenes. These back-to-back deaths have ignited sustained protests in Minnesota, with demands for accountability, transparency, and independent investigations into federal agents' use of force.

A Widening Protest Movement and Corporate Accountability

The New York sit-in signifies a tactical expansion of the protest movement, shifting focus from direct confrontations with law enforcement to targeting the private sector entities perceived as enabling ICE operations. By demonstrating at a hotel chain, activists aim to impose a social and economic cost on businesses that work with the agency. This protest model, echoing tactics used in other social movements, seeks to disrupt the logistical support for federal immigration enforcement and galvanize broader public opposition. The arrests in Manhattan underscore the heightened tensions and the determination of both protesters and authorities as the national debate over immigration enforcement intensifies.