Hilton Garden Inn in Tribeca
IG/ Sunrise Movement

Protesters stormed a Manhattan hotel lobby on Tuesday evening and refused to leave for 45 minutes, ignoring repeated police warnings until officers moved in and arrested dozens. The standoff at the Hilton Garden Inn in Tribeca drew hundreds of demonstrators convinced the hotel chain has been putting up federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

Police arrived at the Sixth Avenue property around 6:00 p.m. after protesters flooded the building and blocked pavement traffic outside, according to ABC7 New York. Law enforcement sources said at least 40 people were taken into custody, though the New York Immigration Coalition disputed that figure and put the number closer to 70.

Hundreds Converge On Tribeca Hotel

About 100 demonstrators packed the lobby while another 300 gathered on the street outside, a law enforcement source told the New York Daily News. Activists waved signs accusing Hilton of providing rooms for ICE officers and chanted slogans demanding the hotel chain pick a side. Video posted to Instagram captured the crowd blocking traffic along one of lower Manhattan's busiest commercial strips.

Some held photos of Renee Good, the Minneapolis mother fatally shot by a federal immigration officer on 7 January. Her death has become a rallying point for opponents of the administration's enforcement push. Other demonstrators directed their anger at Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, with chants threatening violence against her.

Officers gave repeated orders to disperse over 45 minutes before making arrests, Tribeca Citizen reported. Those outside broke up peacefully around 8:00 p.m. once police started leading people out in handcuffs. A patrol car remained stationed at the hotel with its lights flashing late into the night.

Hotel Executive Refuses To Confirm ICE Presence

Staff locked the hotel doors after the protest, letting only registered guests inside. A Hilton executive at the scene would not say whether federal agents were staying at the property when asked by the Daily News. He said only that he could not discuss the matter and expressed frustration at the disruption.

When pressed, the executive warned there would be consequences for the ongoing targeting of hotels by activist groups. One guest staying at the property with his wife and four-year-old daughter called the protesters 'scumbags'.

Organisers Say They Tracked Federal Agent Movements

Michael-Luca Natt, an organiser with Sunrise Movement NYC, told Spectrum News NY1 that demonstrators had tracked ICE activity in the area before picking the Tribeca hotel as a target. He accused federal officers of killing community members without due process, pointing to the recent fatal shootings in Minneapolis that have galvanised opposition to enforcement operations nationwide.

Located just blocks from 26 Federal Plaza and the Canal Street corridor, the hotel sits in an area where immigration enforcement has ramped up sharply in recent weeks. Tuesday's protest was the latest in a string of anti-ICE actions across the city, following a Union Square gathering days earlier and a larger march across the Brooklyn Bridge on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Hilton Already Caught In ICE Accommodation Fight

Tuesday's confrontation came weeks after a separate Hilton controversy. Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security publicly accused a Minneapolis franchise of cancelling reservations for federal officers doing immigration work. Hilton responded by removing that hotel from its system, ABC7 reported.

An NYPD spokesman said those arrested would receive summonses or court appearance tickets depending on the outcome of warrant checks. Neither Hilton nor the Department of Homeland Security responded to requests for comment.