Federal agents detained 11 Democratic officials in Lower Manhattan on Thursday after the group pressed for entry into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) holding areas, reports the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The demonstrations took place just hours after a federal judge directed ICE to improve conditions at its 10th-floor detention site inside 26 Federal Plaza. The order requires the agency to ensure sanitary conditions, reduce overcrowding, and provide detainees with timely access to phone calls with their attorneys, The New York Times reported.
Multiple arrests of officials and immigration advocates happening now pic.twitter.com/R86xmJc4eU
— Kelly Mena (@KellyMena) September 18, 2025
Officials said their intent was to verify whether ICE had complied with the ruling. However, when Department of Homeland Security personnel blocked their entry, arrests followed. NYPD officers also handcuffed others outside the building as part of a related protest blockade.