Protesters Block ICE Agents in Lower Manhattan Garage; Several Arrested
Manhattan, NY — A crowd of protesters blocked the exits of a Lower Manhattan parking garage on Saturday, preventing what they believed were ICE agents from deploying ahead of an expected enforcement action near Canal Street, according to police and video from the scene.
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The group gathered at Centre Street and Howard Street, a location frequently used for staging federal vehicles. Protesters linked arms, chanted “ICE out of New York,” and placed objects in the road to keep vans from leaving the garage.
NYPD officers issued repeated dispersal orders, but many in the crowd refused to move. Police then pushed into the group, set up barricades, and made several arrests for disorderly conduct and obstruction, authorities said.
Videos posted online show brief clashes as officers cleared the roadway, with some protesters attempting to scale a grated garage window and others shoving barriers back toward officers. Police also recovered overturned trash bins and damaged planters in the street.
It remains unclear whether an immigration raid was actually scheduled for Canal Street or whether ICE agents inside the garage were preparing for a routine operation. ICE has not commented on the incident.
The blockade comes weeks after a high-profile ICE sweep targeting counterfeit-goods vendors in the Canal Street corridor — an operation that sparked backlash from immigrant-rights advocates and local elected officials.
NYPD has not released the final number of arrests. No injuries have been reported.