An anti-ICE protest in New York City on Wednesday turned into a painful lesson about the dangers of attempted jail breaks — especially federal jail breaks.
According to CBS News, almost two dozen protesters were arrested after clashing with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents outside an immigration court in lower Manhattan.
The mob tried to storm the building, pushing barricades back against the badly outnumbered agents — but a few doses of pepper spray settled things down, painful as it might have been for the protesters.
Independent journalist Andy Ngo, who has spent years documenting lawlessness of the extreme left (and paid the price for it) — posted video of the clash on the social media platform X:
WARNING: The follow video contains vulgar language that may offend some readers.
Far-left extremists in New York City are pepper sprayed by ICE after attempting to interfere with illegal migrants being transported after immigration case hearings today. pic.twitter.com/B5kk7QuEZn
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) May 29, 2025
In some ways, the video is painful to watch — particularly about the 1-minute mark, where one woman uses a water bottle to rinse the pepper spray from the eyes of another woman.
Should every person involved in this attack face federal prison time?
But in other ways, it’s enraging, because what it amounts to isn’t the kind of peaceful protest protected by the First Amendment. It’s an attempted jail break — the forcible freeing of prisoners held in custody of law enforcement.
The fact protesters claimed that one of the women involved might be pregnant — no one sensible would take the word of a leftist at face value — is even worse.
A woman expecting a child should have enough sense to avoid avoidable situations that might be dangerous, and attending a protest is eminently avoidable.
If she chooses to attend and engage in a near-riot on the streets of New York City, the responsibility for the consequences is hers — not the law enforcement officers she attacks.
Ngo’s video drew hundreds of comments, virtually all of them supporting the agents’ actions:
always makes me laugh how they act after something happens as if any consequence they experience is just completely inconceivable
— mpcap_j (@itrade258) May 29, 2025
After spraying, they should have been arrested and imprisoned until trial for assaulting federal agents and obstruction of justice.
There have to be consequences.
— Small Town Chick (@ejc9029) May 29, 2025
They’re like pesky insects. Spray away!
— J Kim (@jkfromcali1) May 29, 2025
An incident like this is never going to be played sympathetically for the ICE agents by the establishment media, that hideously biased force in American culture and politics. But the reality is, they showed admirable restraint under the circumstances.
It’s restraint the protesters — including the allegedly pregnant woman — should be grateful for. No matter how painful it looked.
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