Federal immigration agents arrested a Nigerian national in Brooklyn late on May 2, setting off a confrontation with protesters outside a local hospital and sparking criticism from some New York City officials.
Eight people were taken into police custody during the incident, which added to the growing tension between federal law enforcement and residents in New York City.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers took Mr Chidozie Wilson Okeke into custody in the Bushwick neighbourhood after determining he had overstayed a tourist visa and had prior arrests for assault and drug possession, according to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson.
When Mr Okeke requested medical attention following a struggle with agents, they transported him to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, where a crowd of demonstrators had gathered and grew increasingly confrontational through the night.
“ICE’s presence in Bushwick is deeply alarming,” Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso said in a post on X. “To our neighbours who quickly mobilised last night, thank you for making it loud and clear that ICE is not welcome in Brooklyn.”
By 2am local time on May 3, the scene outside the hospital had become more unsettled. Protesters blocked the emergency bay entrance, impeding ambulance access. As agents moved to leave with their detainee, one demonstrator smashed the rear window of an ICE vehicle. Officers sustained minor injuries, DHS said.
New York City police, who said they had no prior knowledge of the federal operation, made eight arrests on charges including reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and obstructing governmental administration.
The episode is one of dozens of street-level confrontations that have erupted across the country since the Trump administration launched what it has described as the largest deportation campaign in American history.
ICE arrests during the first six months of President Donald Trump’s second term more than doubled compared with the final six months of the Biden administration.
The NYPD said it does not conduct or participate in civil immigration enforcement and had no advance coordination with ICE – a posture city officials have maintained even as the administration has pressed local law enforcement nationwide for greater cooperation with federal agents. BLOOMBERG
