City officials are criticizing federal immigration enforcement after a crowd of protesters clashed with authorities outside Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Bushwick on Saturday night, leading to eight arrests, according to police.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested Chidozie Wilson Okeke, a Nigerian citizen accused of overstaying a tourist visa, according to the Department of Homeland Security. An agency spokesperson said Okeke resisted arrest and later requested medical care, prompting agents to bring him to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center.
The spokesperson said a “significant” crowd soon gathered outside the hospital as Okeke was being evaluated, resulting in damaged ICE vehicles and several officers suffering minor injuries.
The NYPD previously said it was not involved in the federal immigration operation and responded after receiving a 911 call about the crowd near Stanhope Street and Wyckoff Avenue at 10:39 p.m. Police described the group as disorderly and said people were obstructing traffic and ignoring orders to disperse. Eight people were arrested, the spokesperson said.
The chaotic confrontation prompted criticism from city officials, who questioned the presence of federal immigration agents in the neighborhood and expressed concern about how the incident was handled.
In an interview during the Five Boro Bike Tour on Sunday morning, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he had not yet seen the widely circulated video of the protests, but reiterated his opposition to ICE activity in the five boroughs.
“I've said time and time again, ICE raids are cruel and inhumane,” Mamdani said in an interview. “They do nothing to serve in the interest of public safety.”
In a social media post, City Councilmember Sandy Nurse — whose district includes Bushwick — said the protesters had gathered after word spread that federal immigration agents had brought a detainee to the hospital.
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso called ICE’s presence in Bushwick “deeply disturbing” in a post to social media.
“To our neighbors who quickly mobilized last night, thank you for making it loud and clear that ICE is not welcome in Brooklyn,” Reynoso wrote.
New York State Sen. Julia Salazar, a Democrat whose district includes Bushwick, said on social media that ICE appears to have recently bolstered its presence in the neighborhood.
Protests continued for hours, past 3 a.m. on Sunday, with several blocks closed to traffic and trash cans thrown into the streets. Bushwick resident Mari, who agreed to be interviewed without her last name due to fear of retaliation from law enforcement, said ICE’s presence in the neighborhood had her worried about her own family’s safety.
“My mom was around this area, and well, she's undocumented, so I was really worried about her safety and I just kind of wanted to see how things were going here because I've never really seen ICE around the area,” said Mari, who was born at the same hospital in Bushwick. “It’s always been like a huge fear for me.”
Hospital staff declined to comment when reached by Gothamist.
