Protests lead to nearly 2 dozen arrests outside immigration court in Lower Manhattan
Nearly two dozen people were arrested outside immigration court in Lower Manhattan on Wednesday night, a week after a Bronx high school student was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Protests erupted into chaos as officers and members of the crowd clashed over barricades. Protesters were taken into custody for charges that include obstruction of government administration.
"People say, 'Oh, let them come in legally,' and when they try to come in legally and follow court proceedings they're being kidnapped," a woman named Mariposa said.
The demonstrations happened hours after witnesses reported several people were taken into custody inside the ICE field office in SoHo.
"I've never seen anything like this. I've been working here for a couple years and I've never seen this many agents, let alone agents dressed in plain clothes, wearing masks, pulling people out of line. It's totally out of the ordinary," a man named Ben said.
Tension still high following arrest of Bronx high school student
Advocates say it is becoming increasingly common under the Trump administration for ICE to arrest and detain migrants at their immigration court hearings.
It's what happened to a 20-year-old Bronx public school student last week.
"It's a catch-22. You don't show up for your court hearing then you could also be ordered removed from the country and deported," said Murad Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition.
The Venezuelan student, identified as Dylan, was arrested by ICE at the federal immigration court in Lower Manhattan, where he showed up for a hearing on his asylum request.
"They messed with the wrong people in messing with New York City kids,' said Naveed Hasan, of the New York City Panel for Educational Policy.
Hasan, a parent, said he's been fielding calls from worried immigrant parents.
"The school is actively working to try to figure out how to get him back. We're working with the guidance counselor of the school. Mom is deeply involved in working together," Hasan said.
"Our schools remain safe"
A spokesperson for New York City Public Schools said the city does not ask families to disclose, nor does it track, students' immigration status and staff did not provide any information on Dylan with federal authorities.
"Our schools remain safe and we encourage families to continue to send their children to school," Schools Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos said.
City policy requires ICE to provide a signed judicial warrant before entering school property, which City Hall says has not ever happened under this administration.
ICE did not respond to CBS News New York's questions about how many people were detained by the agency and why.