A Downtown Manhattan parking garage has removed nine federal government vehicles from its premises, after immigration activists claimed in protests some of the vehicles were being used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.<\/p>\n
“As soon as we were made aware that these nine vehicles had been parked for a short duration, we took immediate action to have them removed,” said Lizzy Levitan, a spokesperson for Metropolis, a technology company that leases the garage at 18-20 Morton St. Levitan confirmed the vehicles were U.S. government property, adding she could not say whether they were used by ICE.<\/p>\n
ICE did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n
The decision came after immigration rights activists and others protested outside the garage May 14, waving cowbells, shouting and, at one point, blocking the street with a large sign that read “ICE parks here.” Increasingly, anti-ICE protesters across the country have sought to draw attention to both private contractors<\/a> and state and local government entities that profit from immigration enforcement.<\/p>\n The activists identified at least one of the government vehicles as having been previously parked at the nearby Pier 40 at Hudson River Park, where ICE\u2019s decadeslong parking contract is soon to expire<\/a>.<\/p>\n