Welcome to Arrest Stories. New York Senator Julia Salazar and more than a dozen politicians were arrested Thursday during an immigration courthouse protest against Trump administration policies. Here's what may have happened.
On Thursday morning, eleven elected officials made their way to the tenth floor of Twenty Six Federal Plaza, carrying a banner reading "New Yorkers Against ICE." The group was attempting to conduct oversight inspections of federal holding cells to ensure compliance with a preliminary injunction addressing overcrowding and inhumane detention conditions.
According to official reports, the politicians demanded access to ICE's makeshift holding cells but were forcefully denied entry by Department of Homeland Security agents for approximately twenty minutes. Undeterred, the officials unfurled their protest banner and refused to move from the hallway for roughly another forty minutes before federal agents placed them in handcuffs.
Senator Salazar described the tense confrontation, stating "We attempted to conduct oversight of the tenth floor to ensure compliance with this preliminary injunction ruling. We put our bodies on the line for the lives and freedom of thousands of New Yorkers who have been illegally kidnapped and detained by ICE."
The Brooklyn lawmaker didn't mince words about federal immigration enforcement, declaring "Immigration courts should be places of justice, but in reality, have become abduction traps. Each week, I witness ICE agents become brownshirts, conducting more abductions and becoming increasingly violent."
Meanwhile, another group of protesters was simultaneously arrested by New York Police Department officers outside the federal facility for attempting to block the building's driveway.
Following their arrests, the politicians received court dates scheduled for November. Senator Salazar remained defiant about the consequences, telling reporters "Not terribly concerned about it. I believe we did the right thing, and we knew what the potential consequences would be."
The Thursday arrests represent an escalation in ongoing tensions between local elected officials and federal immigration authorities operating in New York City.
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.