NEW YORK (RTW News) — Dozens of protesters were arrested on Tuesday after they occupied the lobby of the Hilton Garden Inn in Manhattan, alleging the hotel was housing federal immigration officers. The protest was sparked by President Donald Trump’s administration's continued immigration enforcement activities which have faced intense public scrutiny and dissent, highlighted by recent tragic incidents related to immigration enforcement.

Participants in the protest filled the hotel lobby, donning shirts that read Hilton houses ICE and demanding that the hotel cease hosting federal agents. A representative from the hotel refused to comment, and inquiries sent to Hilton's press office went unanswered. The presence of immigration officers at the hotel remains unconfirmed, with the Department of Homeland Security stating that they would not disclose such information.

Police were dispatched to the scene, where they instructed the protesters to vacate the premises. Reports indicate that a significant number of individuals were detained and taken away in buses after the police intervention. Eyewitnesses from the Associated Press noted that dozens were arrested in total, illustrating the tensions surrounding the ongoing immigration debate and the roles private institutions play within it.