Police arrested 66 people, including Dante de Blasio, the son of former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, during a disruptive protest at a Manhattan hotel this week. The group stormed the lobby of the Hilton Garden Inn in Tribeca, convinced the hotel was sheltering Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents amid a federal crackdown on illegal immigration. Authorities later confirmed no ICE personnel were staying there, but the protesters refused to leave, leading to charges of trespassing and disorderly conduct for most involved.
The demonstrators occupied the space for about 45 minutes, chanting slogans, blowing whistles, and waving signs that accused Hilton of complicity with ICE operations. NYPD officers issued repeated warnings before making arrests and loading the group onto a bus for processing.
Dante de Blasio, 29, received a summons and was released without bail, like the others. He later told reporters, “I was arrested while protesting the deployment of ICE agents to New York City.”
Bill de Blasio, who served as mayor from 2014 to 2021 and once called for abolishing ICE during his failed presidential run, voiced support for his son’s actions. He stated he was proud of Dante’s activism, echoing his own long-held views on immigration enforcement. This comes from a family that benefited from round-the-clock police protection during de Blasio’s tenure, even as he pushed to cut NYPD funding amid 2020 riots.
The New York incident fits into a pattern of escalating protests against ICE across the country, particularly in Minnesota, where federal agents have ramped up deportations of criminal aliens. In Minneapolis, agitators targeted hotels they believed housed ICE teams, smashing windows and hurling objects at officers in one case. Another group, including former CNN host Don Lemon, interrupted a church service to rail against the agency, prompting DHS to warn that such tactics aim to intimidate law enforcement.
In Maple Grove, Minnesota, protesters surrounded a SpringHill Suites hotel on January 26, mistakenly thinking Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino was inside. The crowd turned violent, damaging property and assaulting police, resulting in several arrests—some with prior criminal records. DHS officials described these events as part of a “coordinated campaign of violence against law enforcement,” vowing not to back down from their mission to remove dangerous individuals from communities.
Reports suggest hotel employees may have leaked information about ICE stays to protesters, fueling the chaos. This raises questions about whether well-funded activist networks are orchestrating these disruptions, possibly with insider help from sympathetic staff or local officials hostile to federal immigration laws. In Minnesota, for instance, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s inflammatory rhetoric against ICE preceded a wave of unrest, including two fatal shootings tied to the operations.
Such actions not only endanger officers but also undermine public safety by diverting resources from real threats.
As deportations continue under Acting ICE Director Tom Homan—a Trump appointee known for tough enforcement—these incidents reveal a deep divide. While some view ICE as overreach, others see it as essential for protecting citizens from crimes committed by illegal immigrants. The de Blasio arrest serves as a reminder that even prominent figures aren’t above the law when protests cross into criminal territory.
