A group of 11 local elected officials were arrested inside Lower Manhattan’s federal building after a one-hour standoff with immigration enforcement officers. The lawmakers, who include several members of the New York congressional delegation and city officials, demanded access to an immigration holding area on the building’s 10th floor.
The arrest occurred after the officials refused to leave the hallway outside the lockup, banging on locked doors and chanting before being taken away in zip ties. All 11 have since been released with tickets for “unreasonably obstructing the usual use of entrances.”
One of those arrested, Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez Rojas, spoke about her neighbor who was recently arrested by immigration enforcement. She expressed sadness and frustration at the situation.
“I’m here for my neighbor Dino,” she said. “I’m brokenhearted… Our neighbors are disappearing. We cannot permit this to continue.”
The incident comes as tensions between lawmakers and immigration enforcement have escalated. A federal judge has mandated improvements to conditions on the 10th floor, including providing each detainee with at least 50 feet of personal space.
In recent months, numerous elected officials from both parties have been arrested in confrontations with the Trump administration over its immigration policies. The arrests were made after dozens of protesters blocked an entrance to the garage where ICE vans are kept.
The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the number of arrests it made and the charges those people faced.
Source: https://www.thecity.nyc/2025/09/18/dhs-arrests-brad-lander-democratic-lawmakers-26-federal-plaza