Twenty-four anti-ICE protesters stormed Trump Tower in Manhattan Monday, staging a demonstration that ended with arrests after they refused police orders to vacate the building's lobby.
According to Breitbart, the protesters occupied the Trump Tower lobby while demanding the return of illegal immigrants who had been deported to El Salvador's CECOT maximum security prison.
The demonstrators chanted "Bring them back" and refused multiple orders to leave the premises, prompting the New York Police Department to intervene and remove them from the property.
NYPD officers arrived at the scene around 1 p.m. after protesters refused to leave the Trump Tower lobby despite several warnings.
Police eventually restrained the demonstrators using plastic zip ties before escorting them outside and loading them into police vans. Officials have not yet announced what charges, if any, the protesters might face.
A woman leading the protest articulated their demands clearly, calling for immediate action from the Trump administration. "We are demanding that the administration bring back everyone from CECOT to the United States, release them from ICE custody, return them to their homes and families and allow them their day in court," she stated, according to reporting from the New York Post.
Monday's demonstration at Trump Tower was just one of several protests that took place across New York City on the same day.
Additional demonstrations occurred outside courts in Lower Manhattan while another group attempted to disrupt traffic elsewhere in the city. These coordinated actions suggest an organized effort to protest immigration enforcement policies.
The New York demonstrations follow violent anti-ICE protests that erupted in Los Angeles last week, indicating a spreading movement against the administration's immigration enforcement actions.
Several high-profile celebrities have publicly expressed opposition to recent ICE operations, adding their voices to the growing protest movement.
Kim Kardashian has criticized ICE, characterizing the agency's actions as "ripping innocent people from their families." Her statement reflects growing concern among public figures about current immigration enforcement policies.
Actors John Cusack and Mark Ruffalo have also spoken out, calling on Americans to "resist at all costs" the ongoing ICE raids. Their comments highlight the increasingly polarized national debate over immigration enforcement.
The spreading demonstrations have triggered responses from political leaders and activist groups across the country, with some pledging to continue protests. Leftist organizations in Florida have announced plans to "take to the streets in solidarity with L.A.," suggesting the protest movement may continue to expand to additional cities in the coming days.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has taken formal action, announcing that the state is suing the Trump administration over what he described as an "illegal" National Guard deployment related to immigration enforcement.
The Trump Tower protest highlights growing tensions over immigration policy as demonstrations spread from Los Angeles to New York City. The 24 protesters who were detained Monday had occupied the lobby while demanding the return of deportees from El Salvador's CECOT facility.
