The son of Bill de Blasio, the former mayor of New York City, found himself among a group of individuals arrested following a disturbance at a local hotel earlier this week.
Dante de Blasio, 28, was one of 66 people apprehended during a protest against ICE at the Hilton Garden Inn in Manhattan on Tuesday. Protesters alleged that ICE agents were being housed at the hotel, although this claim remains unverified.
According to a report by the New York Post, Dante de Blasio was charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct.
This incident in New York closely mirrored a recent confrontation between protesters and federal agents outside a hotel in Minneapolis. This clash occurred days after the death of ICU nurse Alex Pretti, who was fatally shot by Border Patrol agents on Saturday.
Dante de Blasio attended the premiere of “Lakota Nation Vs United States” at the IFC Center on June 26, 2023, in New York City with his parents, Chirlane McCray and Bill de Blasio. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
The event in Minneapolis also led to several arrests, with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety characterizing the protest as “not peaceful.”
Another agitator, Renee Good, was shot and killed by ICE agents during a confrontation with ICE agents earlier this month, during which authorities said she drive her car towards an agent.
Reached by text message, de Blasio told Fox News Digital that ICE’s operations run counter to America’s founding principles.
Protesters took over the lobby of a Manhattan hotel, prompting a police response and multiple arrests Tuesday evening. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
“ICE’s violent and authoritarian tactics are un-American,” he said. “Clamping down on protests and murdering citizens for the ‘crimes’ of speaking out and protesting is a direct contradiction of the founding principles of our country. ICE has no place in New York City.”
Asked whether it’s accurate to describe the shootings as “murders,” given that nobody has been charged with crimes, de Blasio said due process must be respected.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection police officers stand outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building during a protest on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
“We of course have to respect due process, but the videos showing the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti are disturbingly clear,” he said. “We need an immediate, impartial investigation.”
The former New York City power broker’s son is a Yale graduate, and his father was once embroiled in scandal after allegedly directing his NYPD security detail to chauffeur the younger de Blasio to school.
The elder de Blasio, on a progressive platform, ran an unsuccessful campaign for president in 2020.
He weighed in on his son’s arrest on X.
“Very proud of [Dante de Blasio] for taking a stand against ICE. And this father agrees: #AbolishICE,” he said.
