A photojournalist was taken to a local hospital Tuesday morning after being pushed to the floor by a federal law enforcement officer outside an immigration court in Lower Manhattan.
The photojournalist, whom a coworker identified as L. Vural Elibol with Turkey-based Anadolu Agency, was placed in a neck brace and transported by EMTs on a stretcher, after a physical confrontation with a federal officer shortly before 10:30 a.m. on the 12th floor of 26 Federal Plaza.
Elibol was later discharged from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, according to a colleague.
The journalist with Turkey-based Anadolu Agency was placed in a neck brace and transported to a local hospital following a physical confrontation with a federal officer, on the 12th floor of 26 Federal Plaza.
The incident took place in an area that has become a flashpoint in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in New York City. Immigrants leaving court appearances in the building are frequently taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in hallways often clogged by tearful family members and throngs of journalists.
Gov. Kathy Hochul referenced Tuesday's encounter in a social media post, writing that "Masked ICE agents shoved and injured journalists today at Federal Plaza. One reporter left on a stretcher. This abuse of law-abiding immigrants and the reporters telling their stories must end."
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that officers were making an immigration arrest when they were "swarmed by agitators and members of the press, which obstructed operations."
She added: “Officers repeatedly told the crowd of agitators and journalists to get back, move, and get out of the elevator. Rioters and sanctuary politicians who encourage individuals to interfere with arrests are actively creating hostile environments that put officers, detainees and the public in harm’s way."
Last week, an ICE officer was pulled from duty after viral videos showed him shoving an Ecuadorian woman to the floor, in an episode McLaughlin at the time called "unacceptable" and "beneath the men and women of Ice." The woman, whose husband had been taken into immigration detention, was also taken to a hospital for medical treatment.
CBS News reported Monday that the officer, who remains unidentified, was subsequently reinstated.
It was unclear exactly what transpired before the photographer was shoved to the floor. Elibol and a scrum of photojournalists were seen jockeying to take photos of federal officers detaining immigrants in an elevator.
Another photojournalist entered the elevator, and at one point, a federal officer was heard calling out, "Get out of the f---ing elevator." Elibol, who was shooting video outside the elevator, and another photojournalist were then seen being pushed to the floor.
In New York City and elsewhere, federal agents have been patrolling outside immigration courtrooms and arresting immigrants after their court hearings. The majority of ICE arrests in New York City since Trump returned to the White House on Jan. 20, more than 3,300, have taken place at 26 Federal Plaza.
Trump administration officials have argued that the courthouse arrests are safer and more convenient than arresting immigrants out in the street.
This story has been updated with additional comment.
