UPDATE - New York governor slams ICE after attack on journalists at Federal Plaza

ADDS STATEMENTS FROM NEW YORK ATTORNEY GENERAL, CPJ

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - New York Governor Kathy Hochul criticized federal immigration officers Tuesday after they assaulted journalists at a federal court building in Manhattan, leaving Anadolu’s chief cameraman hospitalized.

“Masked ICE agents shoved and injured journalists today at Federal Plaza. One reporter left on a stretcher,” Hochul wrote on the US social media company X’s platform. “This abuse of law-abiding immigrants and the reporters telling their stories must end. What the hell are we doing here?”

The Democratic attorney general of New York, Letitia James, said “aggressive and violent treatment” of immigrants, public officials and journalists at 26 Federal Plaza “needs to stop, now.”

“This administration cannot harm others who are following the rules and exercising their constitutional rights,” she wrote on X.

The incident occurred when Anadolu cameraman Vural Elibol was thrown to the ground by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents while documenting arrests during immigration court proceedings at 26 Federal Plaza.

He was unable to move after hitting his head on the ground and was hospitalized.

Other journalists who witnessed the incident said that during the scuffle, officers told Elibol to "get out of the elevator," but he was already outside the elevator.

Video from the scene shows masked federal officers grabbing, pushing and pulling AM New York reporter Dean Moses out of a public elevator.

Another officer reportedly shoved freelance photojournalist Olga Fedorova, who was on assignment for The Associated Press.

Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, also slammed the incident, noting a pattern of aggressive conduct by ICE agents at the same courthouse.

“Five days ago, an ICE agent shoved a woman asking questions about the detention of her husband. Today they attacked journalists,” he wrote on X, “We cannot accept or normalize what has now become routine violence at 26 Federal Plaza. It has no place in our city.”

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also reacted to the incident, calling for an end to violence and intimidation against reporters.

“CPJ is deeply alarmed by reports that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officials in New York City have assaulted journalists simply for doing their jobs and covering matters of public importance. Violence against the press is never acceptable, and the secrecy and scare tactics around reporting on ICE operations in this country must end,” said Katherine Jacobsen, CPJ’s US, Canada and Caribbean Program Coordinator, in a statement on X.