New York City police arrested ten people on Staten Island on Tuesday after a resident-led protest involving a blockade of a migrant bus drop-off escalated into a skirmish with officers.
During the protest, people attempted to block a bus carrying illegal immigrants from arriving at the former Midland Beach assisted-living facility, which was recently converted into a migrant shelter, video of the protest shows. Dozens of officers arrived and put several people in handcuffs, the video shows.
Police confirmed Wednesday that ten people were taken into custody. Nine of them were issued summonses for disorderly conduct.
Staten Island resident Vadim Dlyakov, who injured an officer’s knee while resisting arrest, was charged with assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest, and obstructing government administration, according to news reports.
The protesters shouted at the immigrants, telling them to “move back,” and that “you’re not welcome” and “you are illegal,” the New York Post reported. Some of the protesters banged on the bus windows to stop the migrants from exiting the bus and entering the shelter.
Another protest at the same location is scheduled for Wednesday evening, hosted by Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa. The former New York City mayoral candidate, who also attended Tuesday’s protest, has been sounding the alarm on the migrant crisis in the city for months.
Staten Island is one of several New York City boroughs that has been overwhelmed by the massive influx of immigrants moving in. Residents of Glen Oaks, Queens Village, and Bellaire in Queens have been mobilizing against the migrant site at Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, which is housing about 1,000 adult men in tent structures.
Mayor Eric Adams continues to beg the federal government for more assistance with the migrant chaos, which he said recently would “destroy” New York City. In an interview with the city’s Fox affiliate, Adams spoke out against the “hateful words” used during the Staten Island protest.
“We have 8.3 million New Yorkers. So, if the numerical minority decide to use hateful terms and hateful words — that is not a reflection of who the city is,” Adams said. “I’m very clear of the frustration and anger, and New Yorkers have expressed that. But they’re not banging on the doors of buses, they’re not spewing hateful words towards ethnic groups.”
“And I say to those who believe they’re going to use violence by throwing bottles at police officers and migrants, we’re not going to accept that,” he added. “We’ll manage this crisis, but we’re not going to do it with violence.”
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