A few blocks up the street, I found the “ICE Out of NYC” sticker, which includes an image of the Statue of Liberty and a QR code that links to a website for an impressive coalition of groups called Hands Off NYC. They describe themselves as “a coordinated effort supported by unions, faith leaders, and community groups, standing together in nonviolent resistance.” The website lists over 125 organizations of all stripes joined together: Indivisibles, immigrant services and defense groups, housing justice groups, churches and temples, green groups, trade organizations, legal organizations, writers and poets, etc. The coalition states,
“American cities are under attack by the Trump administration. Instead of investing in schools, hospitals, and public services, taxpayer dollars are being spent to send National Guard troops and ICE agents into our communities—ripping families apart and targeting working people. New York City has been directly threatened.
We believe tax dollars should strengthen schools, hospitals, and safe neighborhoods — not build detention centers and tear families apart. Occupying our cities is not “law and order,” it’s an assault on our rights and values, including our First Amendment rights to freedom of the press, to free speech, and to peaceably assemble. We pledge to organize together, build local power, and stand in solidarity with every city facing military occupation. Our cities and our people are our greatest strength.” –Hands Off NYC Statement
A little further north, I saw a woman standing in front of the actual ICE building at 26 Federal Plaza. I had stopped to photograph a sticker, and I asked her what she was looking at. The building was surrounded by scores (hundreds?) of metal barricades, and a handful of officers stood together talking out in front, but it was otherwise pretty quiet.