NYC officials criticize ICE after clash outside Brooklyn hospital leads to 8 arrests
Gothamist • • nation
Key Points:
- A protest erupted outside Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in Bushwick after ICE agents arrested Chidozie Wilson Okeke, a Nigerian man accused of overstaying his visa, leading to eight arrests and damage to ICE vehicles.
- The NYPD was not involved in the initial immigration operation but responded to disorderly crowds obstructing traffic and ignoring dispersal orders near the hospital.
- City officials, including Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, and City Councilmember Sandy Nurse, condemned ICE's presence and actions in the neighborhood, calling the raids cruel and unwelcome.
- Protests lasted into the early hours of Sunday, with residents expressing fear and concern about ICE's increased activity in Bushwick and its impact on immigrant communities.
- Hospital staff declined to comment on the incident, which has sparked ongoing debate about federal immigration enforcement tactics in New York City.
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