Thousands Protest Trump, ICE Raids

Tensions rose in lower Manhattan Tuesday night, as protesters rallied against the Trump administration’s escalating immigration crackdown. Organizers and elected officials led a rally at Foley Square in front of 26 Federal Plaza, where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained multiple immigrants earlier in the day. The rally, organized by over a dozen immigration rights groups, labor unions, and left-wing organizations, began with speeches. Later, demonstrators marched downtown to Washington Square Park. Some protestors eventually circled back to Federal Plaza as the protest went into the night.

City Councilmember Alexa Avilés of Brooklyn’s District 38 spoke out against the Trump administration sowing fear in immigrant communities at the start of the protest.

Avilés said that “we need all of you to stand up and fight back. We need all of you to organize your neighbors, because they may be able to get rid of a few of us, but they cannot get rid of all of us.”

As demonstrators waved signs, danced, and chanted throughout downtown Manhattan, they were also demanding the release of those detained by ICE earlier that day. The high-profile anti-ICE protests, which began in Los Angeles over the weekend, have spread across the country, with many protesters in New York vowing to maintain the pressure.

This story ran on the What’s What podcast from WFUV News on June 11, 2025.