11 NYC Officials Arrested By ICE Agents At Federal Facility

On Thursday (Sept. 18), 11 elected New York City officials were arrested by officers with the Department of Homeland Security at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building in lower Manhattan. The Democratic officials included City Comptroller Brad Lander, who were arrested after staging a sit-down protest on the 10th floor of the building against officers of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.

The officials were there to observe the conditions of the holding cells in the building, to see if ICE was complying with state and federal laws. They were blocked by DHS agents, as others were observed taping over cracks one could see through into the area. The officials then sat on the floor for an hour, unfurling a banner that read “NYers against ICE” before being arrested with zip-tie cuffs. The move prompted State Assemblymember Robert C. Carroll to ask, “If the law is being followed, you should let us observe. If there is nothing to hide, why wouldn’t you let us observe?”

Outside, another protest saw 40 advocates and other city officials, including Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams and City Councilmembers Sandy Nurse and Tiffany Caban conduct a sit-down protest of ICE in the driveway of the building. They would be arrested afterward, bringing the number to 71 in total, which was confirmed by Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Trisha McLaughlin. She went on to criticize Lander in her statement, saying: “Another day, another activist politician pulling a stunt in an attempt to get their 15 minutes of fame while endangering DHS personnel and detainees.”

“They are destroying our community,” State Assemblymember Marceal Mitaynes said in Spanish outside of 26 Federal Plaza, while breaking down tearfully, to reporters. “Our neighbors are disappearing. And we can’t let this continue.” Lander said that he was charged with a misdemeanor for blocking corridors and entrances after he was released.

The protests organized by Democratic politicians and progressives comes after Federal Judge Lewis A. Kaplan ordered that ICE improve conditions of those holding cells by having fewer detainees in them as well as providing them with bedding and regular meals in response to a lawsuit brought on behalf of a Peruvian immigrant. Last month, Kaplan issued an 84-page order to ensure those being detained are protected from “unconstitutional and inhumane treatment.”