About a Dozen Anti-ICE Protesters Arrested After Blocking Brooklyn Bridge Traffic
About 30 demonstrators sat in the roadway on the Brooklyn Bridge on Wednesday to protest federal immigration enforcement, and police took about a dozen of them into custody. All lanes reopened shortly before 1:30 p.m., according to a report citing authorities.
About a dozen anti-ICE protesters were arrested on Wednesday after sitting in the roadway on the Brooklyn Bridge and blocking traffic, according to the New York Post and a report citing ABC7.
About 30 demonstrators took part in the protest, the New York Post reported. Video showed some sitting cross-legged in the roadway, and the group wore shirts reading “Have you seen my neighbor?” and “Sanctuary Campus Now.” The New York Police Department confirmed that multiple people were taken into custody on or near the bridge, and police sources cited by the Post put the number at about 13. A report citing ABC7 put the number at about 14. The charges they faced were not immediately known.
Protesters demanded ICE leave New York City
Organizers said the protest was a response to the Marble Hill shooting, in which an ICE officer shot a man in the Bronx earlier this month, according to the Post. Demonstrators called for ICE to leave New York City and for the release of Oscar Belgal, the man who was shot and detained by ICE agents in the Bronx earlier this month, the Post reported. At least one protester was carried away by officers into a police vehicle, footage showed, while others walked freely, according to the Post.
Lanes reopened before 1:30 p.m.
The blockade lasted roughly 30 minutes, the Post reported. Drivers heading into Manhattan faced delays during the protest, and officials said all lanes were open again shortly before 1:30 p.m., according to the report citing ABC7. Police have not yet released a full list of charges or the names of those arrested.
Reporting based on coverage by the New York Post and ABC7 New York.
