NEW YORK (AP) — A significant protest at the Hilton Garden Inn in Manhattan on Tuesday resulted in multiple arrests, highlighting tensions in the ongoing immigration debate. Protesters were accusing the hotel of harboring federal immigration officers in the face of President Trump’s administration's sweeping immigration enforcement measures.

Witnesses reported that the hotel lobby was filled with demonstrators wearing shirts that read Hilton houses ICE, demanding that the hotel cease any collaborations with federal immigration agents. The atmosphere intensified as security forces moved in, with police ordering the crowd to disperse, which ultimately led to dozens being arrested.

Despite inquiries, Hilton representatives did not clarify whether ICE officials were present at the hotel. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated that such information would not be made public.

The protest comes amidst a backdrop of increased immigration operations by the federal government, which have provoked widespread dissent, including tragic incidents such as recent deaths linked to the enforcement actions. As the protest unfolded, photographers documented the scene, capturing the determination of activists and the response from law enforcement as protesters were taken into custody and loaded onto buses outside the hotel.}