Manhattan parking garage yanks spaces used by ICE after activists protested

Metropolis, which leases a Downtown Manhattan garage, ended a parking contract with the federal government after immigration activists protested that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement used the spaces. The company removed nine government vehicles shortly after learning they had been parked there. The Department of Homeland Security stated that Metropolis terminated the contract and requested removal of all nine vehicles, and that the decision would not affect immigration enforcement efforts. Protests outside the garage included cowbells, shouting, and blocking the street with a sign reading “ICE parks here.” Activists also identified vehicles previously parked at Pier 40 and targeted other nearby garages by scouting locations for ICE parking proposals near Varick Street offices.

"“As soon as we were made aware that these nine vehicles had been parked for a short duration, we took immediate action to have them removed,” said Lizzy Levitan, a spokesperson for Metropolis, a technology company that leases the garage at 18-20 Morton St."

"A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said in a statement Metropolis terminated its parking contract with ICE and requested that all nine of the government vehicles be removed. The spokesperson said the decision would not affect the agency's immigration enforcement efforts."

"The decision came after immigration rights activists and others protested outside the garage May 14, waving cowbells, shouting and, at one point, blocking the street with a large sign that read “ICE parks here.” Increasingly, anti-ICE protesters across the country have sought to draw attention to both private contractors and state and local government entities that profit from immigration enforcement."

"ICE recently requested lease proposals for 150 parking spots for midsized vans, SUVs and minibuses within a quarter-mile radius of its Varick Street offices. In the weeks since, the activists have scouted out nearby garages where ICE could park vehicles."

Read at Gothamist