New York police arrest 25 at immigration protest in Trump Tower

New York police on Thursday arrested 25 people in the lobby of Trump Tower protesting US President Donald Trump's immigration and border policies.

The demonstrators who sat in front of the elevators and chanted "no ban, no raids, no wall!" led security forces to close public accesses to the president's signature property, a commercial and residential skyscraper where first lady Melania Trump and son Barron Trump stay while the president is in Washington.

As heavily armed police wearing ballistic vests stood guard blocking the entrances, other officers carried the protesters to police vans.



The building in the heart of the Fifth Avenue shopping district was also home to Trump's campaign and has been his primary residence for years. The lobby is open to the public, though security was tightened as the 2016 campaign progressed and he was elected president.

Charges were pending, a police said in a statement.

The demonstrators wore T-shirts with slogans such as "No wall," in reference to Trump's proposal to build a wall on the southern border with Mexico, and "No raids," referring to US arrests of suspected undocumented immigrants.

"No ban" refers to Trump's executive orders seeking to restrict immigration from several Muslim-majority countries.