Multiple arrests were made on Saturday (November 29) after confrontations erupted between anti-immigration enforcement demonstrators and law enforcement outside a federal facility in New York City. The incident unfolded in Lower Manhattan as Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents prepared for operations targeting undocumented individuals in the Chinatown neighborhood. Demonstrators assembled near the entrance to a Department of Homeland Security parking facility, preventing federal officers from exiting, according to police. The location has been a focal point for protests spanning over a month.
The confrontation began shortly after 11 am outside a garage at Centre and Hester Streets, where US Customs and Border Protection and Department of Homeland Security personnel had been reporting for duty. When an agent’s vehicle attempted to depart, protesters obstructed its path and stacked garbage bags as barriers. The crowd swelled rapidly to approximately 200 people, who chanted “ICE out of New York,” “you are corrupt!” and other anti-enforcement slogans directed at the agents.
“Following social media posts calling agitators to ICE’s location in New York City, individuals dressed in black clothing with backpacks, face masks, and goggles showed up and began to obstruct federal law enforcement officers, including by blocking the parking garage,” a DHS spokesperson stated.
Police responded to the scene and took multiple demonstrators into custody. Officers erected metal barriers separating the agents from the hostile crowd, though tensions remained high. As federal vehicles departed the garage, protesters pursued them along Canal Street, throwing planters and trash containers at the convoy. While police confirmed the disturbance, they did not immediately disclose the number of people involved. The New York Post reported, citing NYPD sources, that at least 18 anti-ICE activists were detained on charges of obstructing governmental administration and disorderly conduct.
Last month, a major immigration enforcement action occurred near the same government facility where Saturday’s unrest took place, according to the New York Times.
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Recent months have seen numerous ICE operations throughout American cities as part of President Donald Trump’s intensified immigration enforcement policies. Trump has also authorized National Guard deployment to multiple cities during these operations. Earlier this week, two National Guard members were shot near the White House. One service member died from her injuries, while the other remains hospitalized in critical condition.
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