Federal Agents Clash with Journalists Outside NYC Immigration Court

Mon Oct 20 2025 21:20:13 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Tensions escalated outside a New York City immigration court as federal agents clashed with journalists covering an arrest, leading to one reporter being hospitalized.

Federal agents reportedly clashed with several journalists outside a New York City immigration court, resulting in injury to L. Vural Elibol from the Turkish news agency Anadolu. Eyewitnesses reported that agents pushed journalists and escalated the situation in a public area, prompting condemnation from local officials over the aggressive enforcement tactics. The event highlights ongoing tensions surrounding immigration enforcement in the U.S.

NEW YORK (PulseWire) — In a troubling incident outside a New York City immigration court, federal agents forcibly clashed with journalists on Tuesday, leading to injury and hospitalization of one reporter.

Visual journalist L. Vural Elibol from Anadolu Agency sustained a head injury when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents allegedly pushed him and other reporters away in the chaos surrounding an arrest. Eyewitness accounts describe a situation where agents pushed journalists off an elevator and onto the floor, resulting in Elibol hitting his head and requiring treatment before being transported on a stretcher.

Fellow reporters Dean Moses of amNewYork and photographer Olga Fedorova also experienced physical altercations but reported no serious injuries. Fedorova noted that journalists frequently operated in this area without incident, expressing confusion as to why the circumstances escalated dramatically this time.

Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin defended the agents' response, claiming the journalists and bystanders were obstructing law enforcement operations. She described the altercations as a necessary reaction to a chaotic environment created by 'agitators' and urged for public cooperation with law enforcement.

However, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and other elected officials criticized the aggressive enforcement actions. Hochul stated, “This abuse of law-abiding immigrants and the reporters telling their stories must end,” raising alarms over the growing hostility in public enforcement settings like immigration courts.

This confrontation comes amid heightened tensions surrounding immigration enforcement practices that have increasingly drawn resistance from journalists and activists alike. Photographers like Fedorova emphasized the need for clarity in operational procedures by law enforcement to prevent similar violent incidents in the future.

As the incident unfolds, it reflects on the broader implications of current immigration policies and their enforcement tactics, igniting conversations about the rights of journalists and citizens to safely observe and report on public events.