By: Nick Carraway

Hundreds of furious anti-ICE demonstrators faced off with police in Lower Manhattan on Saturday, creating a chaotic and increasingly volatile scene that NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch later condemned — arguing that federal officials had put city cops directly in harm’s way, as the New York Post reported.

The massive crowd descended on a government parking garage on Centre Street after learning that federal agents had gathered inside ahead of a possible immigration enforcement operation, according to the NYPD. Chanting “ICE out of New York!” and similar slogans, protesters pushed up against metal barricades as officers tried to keep them from blocking access to the facility, the NY Post reported.

The demonstration quickly escalated. Protesters attempted to climb the garage’s grated windows to see inside, only to be forcibly pulled down by police. One protester claimed officers were “arresting people for no reason,” while others hurled curses at police and screamed “you are corrupt!” even as officers repeatedly ordered them to step back.

Some agitators allegedly tossed police barricades and planters at officers, intensifying the confrontation, according to the NY Post. At one point, demonstrators shouted profanities and flipped off a driver in a van trying to navigate through the clogged street. They scattered only when police intervened.

By the end of the melee, at least 18 protesters had been arrested on charges including disorderly conduct and obstructing governmental administration. No injuries were reported, though several tourists and passersby described the clash as chaotic and aggressive on both sides, the NY Post noted.

One Australian visitor told reporters that “a lot of people were shoved to the ground,” while another onlooker argued that police should have allowed protesters more freedom. “People should be left alone to protest,” said Peter Suh of New Jersey.

Tensions surrounding immigration enforcement have been on the rise citywide. The confrontation came just a week after an undocumented immigrant accused of selling counterfeit goods in Chinatown was taken into custody by ICE agents — an arrest that set off renewed debate over federal operations in New York.

Behind the scenes, fallout from Saturday’s clash was swift. Hours after the confrontation, FBI New York chief Christopher Raia and Homeland Security Investigations leader Ricky Patel contacted Commissioner Tisch to apologize, as the NY Post reported. But Tisch — who recently confirmed she will remain NYPD commissioner under incoming Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a longtime ICE critic — was reportedly blunt in her response, calling the situation “unacceptable.”

She warned both federal officials that the current approach to large-scale enforcement actions was endangering NYPD officers, federal agents, and the public, and insisted that these tactics needed to change before someone was seriously hurt, the NY Post reported.

The standoff also unfolded just one day after Mayor-elect Mamdani held a “productive” meeting with President Trump at the White House, despite their sharp differences over ICE’s expanding national raids.

For now, city officials and law enforcement remain on edge, bracing for potential repeat clashes.