Hard Wire

Immigration Protest Held In NYC

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Hundreds gathered in Foley Square on Saturday to protest what they described as authoritarian overreach by the Trump administration following the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka during an unannounced visit to a New Jersey ICE detention facility.


The rally, marked by high emotion and fiery rhetoric, was organized by left-leaning advocacy groups including the Working Families Party and Make the Road Action, and drew prominent progressive voices from across New York City.


The central charge: that the use of armed ICE agents to detain Baraka and confront accompanying New Jersey congressional Democrats constituted a threat to civil liberties and democratic norms.


Activists and elected officials repeatedly invoked comparisons to N*** Germany, labeling ICE “Trump’s gestapo” and holding up signs like “ICEstapo illegally arrested Newark Mayor” and “Would’ve fought the Nazis? Now’s your chance!” The mood was defiant, with protesters waving upside-down American flags and calling on local leaders to sever ties with what they see as a growing federal crackdown on dissent and immigrant rights.


Brooklyn City Council Member and Comptroller candidate Justin Brannan delivered some of the day’s most scathing remarks, alleging betrayal from New York City leadership. “ICE cowboys are running rampant over our rights,” he said, accusing Mayor Eric Adams of “selling out” by maintaining a cooperative relationship with President Trump.


That sentiment was echoed by Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who joined calls for City Hall to take a firmer stand against federal immigration enforcement.


The timing of the protest — just one day after Baraka’s dramatic arrest — further escalated political tensions. Baraka and three New Jersey congressional representatives entered the privately-run, ICE-operated Delaney Hall facility without prior authorization.


ICE agents arrested Baraka for trespassing, and bodycam footage later released by DHS showed at least one congresswoman forcefully pushing past agents and another shouting in their faces — a stark contrast to claims that lawmakers were “roughed up.”


Despite the footage, progressive groups have maintained that the broader issue is the criminalization of oversight and protest. Sienna Fontaine of Make the Road Action framed the incident as part of a broader effort to erode civil protections.


“Trump and his billionaires are trying to divide us while dismantling our safety net,” she said. “Today is the day that we say we stand together.”


City Comptroller Brad Lander, another mayoral hopeful endorsed by the Working Families Party, warned that failing to confront federal aggression could lead to broader erosion of rights. “We must stand up to this administration,” he said. “They will do this to every one of us if they could.”

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