DHS says ICE arrested Nigerian national in Brooklyn, sparking protests
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Nearly 10 people were detained in New York over the weekend as anti-ICE demonstrators protested the detention of an illegal immigrant accused of assault and drug possession, according to authorities.
Protests broke out in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood after ICE arrested Chidozie Wilson Okeke, an illegal immigrant from Nigeria who had previously been arrested for assault and drug possession, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
DHS said Okeke entered the United States on a tourist visa in 2023 and that his visa, which required him to leave the country by Feb. 26, 2024, had expired.
During an immigration enforcement operation on Saturday, Okeke refused to comply with ICE agents’ commands to exit his car and attempted to hit them with the vehicle, according to the agency. He is later accused of being “physically combative” and attempting to punch and elbow ICE agents.
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Protests broke out in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood after ICE arrested Chidozie Wilson Okeke. (FNTV)
“Our officers followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary to make the arrest,” DHS said in a statement. he said.
Following his arrest, Okeke was taken to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center for medical evaluation. DHS said Okeke “disobeyed rules, threw herself on the ground, and screamed during the medical evaluation,” adding that she was eventually cleared by medical personnel.
The video shows ICE agents dragging Okeke out of the hospital after his medical evaluation.
During the medical evaluation, a crowd of anti-ICE protesters gathered outside the hospital. DHS said the group damaged several IYM vehicles and attacked agents, causing minor injuries.
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In the video, ICE agents are seen dragging Chidozie Wilson Okeke out of the hospital after his medical evaluation. (FNTV)
The NYPD said officers responded to reports of disorderly protesters outside the hospital between Stanhope and Stockholm streets around 10:25 p.m. Saturday. Officers reported observing numerous individuals behaving erratically, obstructing vehicle traffic and blocking emergency entrances and exits to the hospital.
According to the department, officers repeatedly gave verbal warnings for protesters to disperse and return to the sidewalks.
Nine people were later taken into custody, eight of whom were arrested and charged with resisting arrest, obstructing governmental administration, reckless endangerment and criminal mischief, the NYPD said. One person was issued a summons and released.
Nine protesters were detained, including eight people who were later arrested and charged. (FNTV)
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The NYPD said it does not participate in civil immigration enforcement and had no prior knowledge of the ICE operation.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani told a Gothamist reporter after the incident on Saturday that the ICE raids were “cruel and inhumane” and that “they did nothing to serve the interest of public safety, and I even said that directly to the president.”
