The ongoing protests against Trump’s policies have so far yielded little tangible change, even as discontent with his administration grows. Demonstrations characterized by pink pussy hats and “No Kings” marches have not influenced his decision-making.
Unlike the civil rights marches and anti-Vietnam War protests of the 1960s, which aimed to challenge specific policies, the current wave of anti-Trump demonstrations often centers on opposition to Trump himself or his perceived authoritarian tendencies. However, the actions against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) represent a notable exception, as they focus on a clear objective. As we will explore, a recent grassroots effort in New York City to thwart an impending ICE raid proved somewhat effective, as the operation was ultimately called off. Despite the intervention of the NYPD to disperse protesters, Police Chief Jessica Tisch reportedly expressed her strong dissatisfaction with ICE’s plans for the raid.
While the NYPD did aid ICE by enabling their departure from a police cordon, reports suggest that Tisch’s concern centered on the method of ICE’s exit. She accused the agency of compromising the safety of both New Yorkers and police officers. Notably, the NYPD, under Mayor Eric Adams, has generally refrained from collaborating with ICE. The confrontation arose when protesters used pallets and trash to obstruct an expected ICE advance. According to a report by The New York Times:
This standoff highlighted the complexities federal authorities face in executing raids in densely populated cities like New York, where significant pushback from a largely liberal citizenry is to be anticipated.
The incidents began just after 11 a.m., when a small group of protesters congregated outside a garage situated in Chinatown, where agents from both U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security were arriving.
As the agents attempted to leave, protesters blocked their way, forming a barrier at the garage entrance with their bodies and creating makeshift blockades with garbage bags. This standoff persisted for almost an hour as more demonstrators joined.
By early afternoon, nearly 200 protesters had gathered, chanting and shouting at the agents who observed from within the garage.
The police soon arrived, arresting several protesters and erecting metal barricades between the agents and demonstrators. Despite the law enforcement presence, tensions remained high…
Just after 1:15 p.m., chaos broke out when agents rushed from the garage in their vehicles, prompting protesters to chase them down Canal Street, throwing trash cans and planters in their wake. A protester even darted in front of one of the vehicles, while a masked agent sprayed something towards the demonstrators from an open window.
The streets became a battleground as police officers and protesters clashed amid oncoming traffic while the vehicles sped away…
Jessica Tisch, the NYPD Commissioner, criticized the federal agents’ actions during a call with Ricky Patel, the special agent in charge of New York’s Homeland Security Investigations. She reportedly labeled the raid “unacceptable” and expressed that it jeopardized the safety of New Yorkers, federal agents, and her officers.
Both conservatives and those aligned with liberal ideologies often dismiss militant actions, viewing property as a higher concern than human rights. While protests may appear ineffectual in the short term, as Richard Kline observed in 2010:
The essence of protest allows for a long-term strategy: you may face repeated failures, but inevitably, persistence can exhaust opposition. One must accept that protests often end in defeat. This can be humbling and intimidating, but the purpose of protest is to alter conditions that shift the playing field. Historical examples, like Hungary’s nonviolent resistance in the 1860s, illustrate that domination can end not through outright victories but through widespread withdrawal of cooperation.
The Trump administration does not tolerate dissent and readily resorts to intimidation to maintain control. Will the resistance arise to meet this challenge, as Frederick Douglass warned was essential?
Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never has, and it never will. By discovering what people are willing to endure quietly, one can measure the injustices they will face—these injustices will persist until met with either words or confrontations, or both. The endurance of the oppressed sets the limits of tyrants.
By Gwynne Hogan, Alex Krales, and Katie Honan. Published at THE CITY on November 29, 2025
Credit: Alex Krales/THE CITY
The NYPD arrested over a dozen individuals and used pepper spray during a spontaneous protest surrounding a parking garage where masked federal agents had gathered.
The specific plans of these federal agents remain unclear. Around 11 a.m., they began staging inside the federally owned garage at Howard and Center Streets, near where agents had previously executed a series of arrests involving immigrant street vendors the month prior.
Hellgate reported that another significant immigration raid had been hastily called off as news of the potential operation spread among activists and onlookers.
Activists quickly gathered outside the garage, chanting “ICE out of New York” while some attempted to block exits with traffic cones and overturned trash cans, watching as the masked agents observed from inside.
NYPD officers arrived and assisted agents in pushing protesters aside. They erected metal barricades around the garage while arresting several demonstrators. After a lengthy standoff lasting about two hours, police successfully cleared a passage for federal vehicles to exit the garage and depart.
Local City Councilmember Christopher Marte expressed his outrage, stating that it was “despicable” for the NYPD—particularly the [Strategic Response Group, the NYPD’s counter-terrorism unit]—to facilitate ICE activities in the city.
The NYPD explained that they responded to a 911 call reporting a “disorderly group” just before noon.
“Upon arrival, officers observed individuals blocking the street and exits at various locations. Some were seen throwing debris,” the statement noted. “After multiple dispersal orders were ignored, several individuals were taken into custody.”
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the agents’ plans that Saturday but thanked the NYPD for their assistance.
“We appreciate the NYPD officers who intervened against these violent agitators to restore order,” their statement read. “We will never apologize for enforcing the law and removing criminal illegal aliens—be they murderers, rapists, gang members, or terrorists—from our communities. We refuse to let violent rioters obstruct our efforts, and any individuals who assault law enforcement will face prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.”
A spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams did not respond to a request for comments from THE CITY.
Monica Klein, representing Zohran Mamdani, stated that “the Mayor-elect has been clear—both to the President and the public—that these raids are both cruel and ineffective in ensuring genuine public safety.”
“The Mayor-elect is firmly committed to protecting the rights and dignity of every New Yorker, abiding by our sanctuary laws, and prioritizing de-escalation over unnecessary force,” she added.
As federal vehicles attempted to leave, protesters left a trail of overturned trash cans and debris along Canal Street in an effort to slow them down. A substantial number of NYPD officers followed, deploying pepper spray and making additional arrests along the route.
“You understand this is not your battle,” pleaded Kaleed Ravis, 52, urging police officers to treat a detained protester gently. Ravis, who had been out shopping in New Jersey, joined the protest after noticing the commotion.
The convergence of federal agents, NYPD officers, and protesters resulted in significant disruption along Canal Street, coinciding with “Small Business Saturday,” an essential day for holiday shoppers.
“We’re really curious; it’s the Scottish in us,” remarked one Scottish bystander, who chose to remain anonymous.
Credit: Alex Krales/THE CITY
Nineteen-year-old Ali Boussi had come to Canal Street to buy “fake Gucci” while visiting his father from Detroit, although he found the streets unusually vacant of vendors that day.
“Fuck ICE, why are they doing this? We’re all one kind,” he expressed. “It hurts me inside. We’re all people.”
Numerous federal agents had descended on Canal Street in October, targeting street vendors and arresting nine West African immigrants—marking one of the most extensive military-style immigration operations in New York City. Since then, ICE agents have conducted random detentions of undocumented individuals, predominantly in Hispanic neighborhoods, prompting accusations of racial profiling.
There have been other violent raids, including one earlier this month, where agents invaded a woman’s apartment in East Elmhurst before dawn, searching for a relative who no longer resided there.
During that incident, agents pointed a gun at a 33-year-old mother and her four children, dragging her by her hair and threatening her 13-year-old daughter with an assault rifle.
“Put your fucking hands up, stupid,” one agent was heard shouting in a brief video of the raid.
Earlier this month, border czar Tom Homan pledged to escalate immigration raids, indicating plans to visit New York City in the near future.
