Violent protests in New York City over ICE raids will not be tolerated, Mayor Eric Adams says
New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Monday addressed the recent protests in Los Angeles over U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement policies, saying similar violence in the five boroughs will not be tolerated.
His address came a day after President Trump deployed the National Guard to California's largest city to confront demonstrators.
"Keeping the people of our city safe has always been my North Star. That means keeping people safe from violent protests and it means protecting people who are trying to do the right thing by protesting peacefully for what they believe," Adams said. "But two wrongs do not make a right. I understand that some New Yorkers may be angry, afraid and ready to express that. New York City will always be a place to peacefully protest, but we will not allow violence and lawlessness."
Adams said the escalation of protests in Los Angeles over the last couple of days is "unacceptable and will not be tolerated if attempted in our city." He went on to say New York City has "the best police department in the world, men and women who are prepared to handle any issues that may arise, especially when we are faced with deep division in our society."
Adams spoke after two dozen people were arrested during a sit-in protest at Trump Tower in New York City on Monday afternoon.
The protesters sat down in the lobby of Trump Tower and chanted "bring them back," in an apparent reference to ICE deportations to El Salvador.
Video posted to social media showed NYPD officers placing demonstrators in zip ties and escorting them from the building.
One woman was one of many people taken into custody during protests Saturday and Monday.
"We were at Trump Tower today to protest the illegal and unconstitutional work that ICE is doing arresting and deporting people without any due process at all," she said.
There were no initial reports of violence or injuries at the protest.
CBS News New York's Adi Guajardo reported Monday multiple people were taken into custody at another protest in Foley Square.
NYPD to "follow the law," Commissioner Tisch says
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said, "As a matter of city law, we do not engage in civil immigration enforcement, period. We will continue to follow the law."
Tisch, however, echoed the mayor's position on violence, saying, "We have no tolerance for violence, none. We have no tolerance for property damage. We have no tolerance for people blocking entrances to buildings or blocking driveways or blocking cars from moving."
She said anyone who thinks violence against police officers is acceptable should think again.
"Any attacks against law enforcement will be met with a swift and decisive response from the NYPD. We are responsible for public safety and maintaining order in this city and we will never abdicate that responsibility," Tisch said.
She said she spoke to federal officials and has the same message for the public.
"At the New York City Police Department, we know how to police protests in a manner that maintains public safety and upholds the law. We have done so in thousands of protests over the last few years and we will continue doing so going forward," Tisch said.
The commissioner did not give details, but said plans are in place to address the types of civil unrest that have taken place in California, and that the "full resources of the New York City Police Department are available and prepared to respond. We will maintain public order and do it consistent with the law."
As protesters continue to chant and call for change, Norman Siegel, a civil rights attorney, says it's vital to know your rights while protesting and take heed of what Commissioner Tisch said.
"You can't block the roadways. You can't block entrances or exits to buildings, but you can demonstrate. You can be on public sidewalks without a permit. If you go into the gutter, the street, you need a permit," Siegel said.
Another protest in Lower Manhattan
From politicians to union leaders, protesters gathered near City Hall Park in Lower Manhattan on Monday to call for an end to ICE raids across the country.
"None of this, brothers and sisters, is making our city safer," City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said.
"These ICE raids are not making us any more safe. They're doing the opposite," City Councilman Justin Brannan said.
Protesters also called for the release of David Huerta, a member of the Service Employees International Union, which organized the Monday rally near City Hall. He was arrested and accused of interfering with officers during protests in Los Angeles.
"Are we ready to fight for the immigrants who've always powered our country?" Manny Pastreich, president of SEIU Local 32BJ, asked the crowd. "Are we ready to fight for our union family?"
"We are a city of immigrants! We are a country of immigrants!" Brannan said.
"We will not be silenced!" Adrienne Adams added.
Huerta was released from federal custody later Monday on $50,000 bond.
Another union is pushing back on President Trump's immigration policies. Environmental Protection Agency employees work in the same federal buildings as immigration court.
"This is unprecedented," said Harper Stanfield, New York VP for the American Federation of Government Employees, Local 3911. "They've been detaining people in the middle of our work days. They've been shouldering my members -- EPA employees -- out of the elevators so they can chase somebody down or take somebody away."
"Any allegations that any EPA employees were 'targeted' by law enforcement for identification because of their skin color are FALSE. DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted and are not resulting in the arrest of U.S. citizens. We do our due diligence. We know who we are targeting ahead of time. If and when we do encounter individuals subject to arrest, our law enforcement are trained to ask a series of well-determined questions to determine status and removability," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said.
"U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests aliens who commit crimes and other individuals who have violated our nation's immigration laws. Our law enforcement activities are not conducted based on racial or ethnic profiling and are consistent with Department of Homeland Security and ICE policies, as well as U.S. immigration law, which prohibit the consideration of race or ethnicity when conducting enforcement actions. ICE relies on intelligence-driven law enforcement operations to locate and apprehend specific aliens at-large. All aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States," an ICE spokesperson said. "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement may encounter U.S. citizens while conducting field work and may request identification to establish an individual's identity. Any US immigration officer has authority to question, without warrant, any alien or person believed to be an alien concerning his or her right to be, or to remain, in the United States."
"Stand up and fight now for our most vulnerable"
A CBS News poll conducted last week showed 54% of Americans approve of President Trump's program to deport people illegally in the U.S., but Stanfield said members of his union don't see it that way.
"They've been asking, my members our employees, for identification, particularly from what we've heard, people of color. EPA employees are getting credentials and may be profiled by some of these agents," Stanfield said.
Brannan went on to say, "An immigrant rights and human rights and labor rights are all bound up together, and if we don't stand up and fight back now for our most vulnerable then no one else will!"
Also on Monday, Democratic Reps. Nydia Velázquez and Mike Thompson introduced a bill that would prohibit immigration officers from wearing any clothing bearing the word "police."
