NYC Mayor Mamdani Calls ICE ‘Cruel and Inhumane’ After Violent Protest at Brooklyn Hospital

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani did not mince words Sunday, labeling US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as “cruel and inhumane” after a violent confrontation between protesters and police outside a Brooklyn hospital. The clash unfolded late Saturday night when ICE arrested a man at the hospital for treatment, triggering an intense response from local activists.

“They do nothing to serve in the interest of public safety, and I’ve said that even directly to the president,” Mamdani told Gothamist. The far-left mayor was participating in the city’s Five-Boro bike tour when he commented on the unrest, which saw protesters block emergency entrances and exits, hurl debris into the street, and attempt to disrupt traffic.

At least nine people were arrested during the chaos, which peaked around 2 a.m. Sunday as ICE agents escorted the detainee out. Video footage shows the agents using pepper spray on some protesters before speeding away in an SUV. Protesters responded with jeers, obscenities, and acts of defiance such as hauling trash cans into the street.

New York City Councilwoman Sandy Nurse accused the NYPD of coordinating with ICE to facilitate the arrest and transport, a claim that strikes at the heart of New York’s sanctuary city protections. “What I witnessed during the discharge appeared to be direct coordination between ICE and the NYPD, with officers cordoning off the ambulance bay to allow ICE to move the individual into their vehicle and leave,” Nurse said in a social media statement.

The NYPD, however, denied any cooperation with ICE, stating their officers were merely present to maintain order amid the protests. Nonetheless, videos and eyewitness accounts depict a violent escalation, including a scuffle between police and demonstrators that spiraled into a full-blown brawl with officers and protesters tackling and swinging at each other.

This incident lays bare the ongoing tensions between federal immigration enforcement and local authorities in sanctuary cities like New York. It also highlights the broader pattern of resistance against ICE’s aggressive tactics, which critics like Mamdani decry as harmful to public safety and community trust.

Only Clowns Are Orange will continue to monitor ICE’s overreach and the local pushback, exposing the authoritarian impulses threatening democratic norms and civil rights in our cities.