A trail of social media posts from anti-ICE lefties fueled the chaotic protest that quickly erupted outside a Brooklyn hospital over the weekend.
The Saturday night demonstration over the detention of Nigerian national Chidozie Wilson Okeke led to nine arrests and lingering accusations from left-wing local pols and activists that the NYPD was illegally coordinating with ICE – which Mayor Zohran Mamdani vehemently denied.
A local immigration watchdog group had tailed ICE agents bringing Okeke in custody to Wyckoff Heights hospital in Bushwick, Councilwoman Sandy Nurse told the New York Times.
Two ICE officers stand over a detained man outside Wyckoff Hospital in Brooklyn. Dakota Santiago/FNTVA group of masked protesters began to take pictures of the ICE agents, video posted on Instagram shows.
“It’s an ICE vehicle,” one young man can be heard repeatedly yelling in the video, referring to a black minivan.
Another youngster in a maroon hooded sweatshirt squares off against the minivan’s driver, who at one point appears to threaten to pepper spray him.
It’s unclear if the agitators were part of the same group as the ICE watchdog Nurse mentioned.
But the masked protesters’ photos of that minivan and another alleged federal immigration enforcement vehicle outside the hospital spread on social media and quickly reached several ICE watchdog accounts on Instagram.
“ICE in Bushwick with NYPD. Comrades have been pepper sprayed! All out to Wyckoff & Stanhope!!” read one Instagram post from a coalition of different groups, including NYC ICE Watch, Immigration Coalition, NY Indivisible and Flood the Streets NYC.
Caswell Parker, 26, is arraigned in Brooklyn Criminal Court Sunday evening after being arrested at a protest in front of Wycoff medical center. William Miller for NY Post
A man is placed into a vehicle after being detained during protests in Brooklyn. Dakota Santiago/FNTVBy around 10:30 p.m., the crowd outside the hospital had grown and NYPD cops responded to the mayhem, with a mob of about 200 protesters eventually showing up, blocking the emergency entrances and exits.
ICE agents eventually left the hospital with Okeke in an SUV after 2 a.m. Sunday, dousing some of the protesters with pepper spray.
Disturbing video circulated online Monday showing Okeke’s broad daylight arrest earlier Saturday by ICE agents.
He could be seen screaming hysterically as ICE agents surrounded him inside a car and one seemed to fire a Taser, according to the bystander video obtained by The City.
“During his arrest, Okeke refused to comply with officers’ lawful commands to exit the vehicle and weaponized his vehicle to attempt to hit ICE officers,” a DHS rep claimed.
Protesters posted this photo of alleged ICE vehicles to social media. Instagram/jgratliff“Okeke became physically combative, attempting to punch and elbow ICE officers. Our officers followed their training and used the minimum amount of force necessary to make the arrest.”
Okeke then said he needed medical attention, so the agents transported him to the hospital, according to DHS.
Medical staff eventually cleared him of any issues.
The feds said Okeke entered the US on a tourist visa in 2023 but stayed beyond his required departure date of Feb. 26, 2024. He had assault and drug busts on his record, though DHS didn’t say when or where those prior arrests took place.
