At least eight people were arrested in chaotic scenes outside a New York City hospital where a detainee was being held by ICE agents.
A demonstration gathered outside Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Bushwick, Brooklyn, in support of a man who had been detained by ICE and was being treated inside.
Footage shared on social media in the early hours show clashes between cops and protesters, with trash and garbage cans spilled onto the street outside the center.
At one point in a clip obtained by TMZ, masked agents can be seen dragging the detained man out of the building and bundling him into a vehicle, flanked by half a dozen NYPD cops and surrounded by angry protesters.
Chidozie Wilson Okeke, from Nigeria, had been taken to the facility by ICE agents after becoming combative during his arrest, according to a DHS statement.
Okeke, whom the DHS described as an “illegal alien,” allegedly refused to comply with officers’ commands during his arrest and weaponized his vehicle to hit ICE agents.
Then, Okeke allegedly began to punch and elbow the officers. After his arrest, Okeke requested medical assistance and was taken to the Brooklyn facility.
At the hospital, he threw himself to the floor and screamed, the DHS says. Eventually, he was cleared by medical staff.
Meanwhile, a local group that tracks ICE vehicles had followed them to the hospital, Sandy Nurse, a local city councilwoman, told The New York Times.
Police told the newspaper that around 200 protesters convened at the facility, with some hurling garbage cans into the street.
“People tried to stop the vehicles from leaving,” Nurse said. “That’s when the police arrived, and then it was essentially a standoff for five or six hours, because more and more people showed up from the neighborhood to try to keep that individual from being taken.”
Nurse went on to accuse the NYPD of “direct co-ordination” with ICE, while New York mayor Zohran Mamdani branded ICE “cruel and humane” when asked for comment on the incident.
An NYPD spokesperson told NBC 4 New York that there was no communication or coordination with ICE. The spokesperson added that four NYPD officers were injured by ICE agents using pepper spray.
In a statement given to The Independent, the NYPD said it responded to “multiple disorderly groups” at 10.25 pm on May 2.
“Upon arrival, officers observed numerous individuals acting in a disorderly manner, obstructing vehicular traffic, and blocking emergency entrances and exits at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center,” the NYPD statement said. “Officers issued repeated verbal warnings for the individuals to disperse and return to the sidewalks.”
Throughout the course of the evening, eight people were arrested, police told The Independent. They were charged with resisting arrest, reckless endangerment, obstructing government administration and criminal mischief.
One individual was issued a summons and released, police added.
At around 1.30 a.m., Nurse said that she and human rights lawyer Alex Franco tried to speak to the detainee in the emergency room. Both Nurse and Franco, who said they had been contacted by the detainee’s family, claim that they were barred from entering by hospital staff.
“They basically said that they had to medically clear the person, the detainee, before I was allowed access,” Franco said. “And I explained to them, ‘Look, I’ve done this before, show me where that policy is.
“Because as soon as he’s discharged, ICE is going to take him away,” Franco continued. “So you are essentially denying them the right to counsel.”
According to the DHS, Okeke had previously been arrested for assault and criminal drug possession. In a statement given to The NYT, the department said he had overstayed a tourist visa.
The Independent has contacted the DHS for comment.
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