Councilmen Arrested During Rally For Immigration Activist

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS-INWOOD, NY — City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, who represents Washington Heights and Inwood, was arrested Thursday during a rally to support a detained immigration activist.

Rodriguez was arrested with about 18 other protesters including City Councilman Jumaane Williams of Brooklyn, the NYPD said. The arrests were made after a group of people blocked a roadway near Foley Square, the NYPD said.

The city councilman was critical of the NYPD's handling of the rally and accused officers of using illegal methods such as choke holds to detain protesters.

"This is NOT how you treat people who are protesting for Human Rights," Rodriguez said on Twitter. "This is NOT what democracy looks like. We can’t call ourselves progressives and pro-immigrants when the [NYPD] is doing chokehold to us. Injusticia!"

Protests broke out in Foley Square Thursday morning after Ravi Ragbir, executive director of the New Sanctuary Coalition of New York, was arrested at a scheduled annual meeting with ICE. Immigration officials decided to act on an 11-year-old deportation order against Ragbir, even though there a hold on the order was in effect until next week, Das said.

"We believe in him and we believe that we can find justice," Das said.

Read more about the protest here.

Photo courtesy City Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez via Tiwtter