PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement that began at Seventh and Arch streets in Center City Tuesday evening was forcefully broken up by police after the group marched to Market Street, ending with more than a dozen arrests.
More than 150 demonstrators gathered outside the Federal Detention Center around 4 p.m. to rebuke ICE, after immigration advocates reported ICE agents arrested a man earlier in the morning at Seventh Street and Snyder Avenue in South Philly.
In photos circulating on social media, the agents could be seen in FBI and DEA vests. Advocates said it wasn’t clear whether they were acting on a judicial warrant.
Community organization Juntos has identified the arrested man, who they said was connected with the Mexican consulate for legal support.
Police instructed protesters to clear the area around 7 p.m., so the group marched southwest a few blocks. Once they reached Market Street, though, police began to break up the throng. Officers used aggressive dispersal tactics, including a considerable amount of shoving people into walls and onto the ground.
Some officers also pushed their bikes into protesters and hit some of the crowd members with their batons.
“They started grabbing people and got incredibly aggressive. I was hit and pushed a couple times myself by police,” said May, one of the demonstrators. She said this protest mirrored many of the others happening across the United States.
“We’re out here for our comrades in Los Angeles, Dallas, all across the country who are out protesting to let everyone know that we will not let tyranny come in under our watch in our city,” she said.
Philadelphia police said demonstrators had ignored orders and blocked traffic, and on Market Street, the “crowd’s behavior escalated, becoming violent and extremely disorderly.” Police said order was restored by 7:45 p.m.
In all, 14 people were arrested for disorderly conduct and one for aggravated assault on police. Two bike officers suffered minor injuries, as did two women who were arrested. A police car was also vandalized with spray paint.
The police department also said several officers used force while arresting people, and those actions will be reviewed to make sure they complied with department guidelines.