NEW YORK (AP) — Tensions reached a boiling point outside a New York City immigration court on Tuesday as federal agents clashed with journalists seeking to document their actions during arrests. The confrontation sent Turkish news agency Anadolu's visual journalist L. Vural Elibol to the hospital after he was shoved to the ground and hit his head while covering the incident at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan.
Witnesses reported that Elibol was assisted by a bystander and treated by a nurse until paramedics arrived. Video footage showed the journalist being wheeled out on a stretcher wearing a neck brace. Along with Elibol, other journalists, including amNewYork’s Dean Moses and freelance photographer Olga Fedorova, were also pushed but did not sustain severe injuries.
Following the incident, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin defended the agents' actions, claiming they were faced with a crowd of agitators obstructing their operations. McLaughlin stated, Officers repeatedly told the crowd to get back, move, and get out of the elevator, suggesting that the presence of journalists contributed to creating a harmful environment.
Moses, who was trying to photograph the arrest of a woman leaving immigration court, described the escalating situation as agents screamed at him and forcefully pulled him from the elevator. Fedorova noted that photographers had previously operated in the same hall without incident, indicating a lack of clear communication from the agents during this particular occurrence.
This conflict follows recent incidents of excessive force by federal agents in similar environments, raising concerns about the treatment of both immigrants and journalists amidst an aggressive immigration enforcement environment. Elected officials, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, condemned the agents' actions, calling for an end to the aggressive tactics that threaten law-abiding individuals and their stories. State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani echoed these sentiments, critiquing the normalization of violence at federal facilities as unacceptable in New York City.
Witnesses reported that Elibol was assisted by a bystander and treated by a nurse until paramedics arrived. Video footage showed the journalist being wheeled out on a stretcher wearing a neck brace. Along with Elibol, other journalists, including amNewYork’s Dean Moses and freelance photographer Olga Fedorova, were also pushed but did not sustain severe injuries.
Following the incident, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin defended the agents' actions, claiming they were faced with a crowd of agitators obstructing their operations. McLaughlin stated, Officers repeatedly told the crowd to get back, move, and get out of the elevator, suggesting that the presence of journalists contributed to creating a harmful environment.
Moses, who was trying to photograph the arrest of a woman leaving immigration court, described the escalating situation as agents screamed at him and forcefully pulled him from the elevator. Fedorova noted that photographers had previously operated in the same hall without incident, indicating a lack of clear communication from the agents during this particular occurrence.
This conflict follows recent incidents of excessive force by federal agents in similar environments, raising concerns about the treatment of both immigrants and journalists amidst an aggressive immigration enforcement environment. Elected officials, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, condemned the agents' actions, calling for an end to the aggressive tactics that threaten law-abiding individuals and their stories. State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani echoed these sentiments, critiquing the normalization of violence at federal facilities as unacceptable in New York City.
