Cross posted to the MRC's NewsBusters blog
On Sunday's The Weekend: Primetime, MS NOW devoted its latest segment to promoting the efforts of anti-ICE activists trying to block federal agents from enforcing immigration laws, this time in New York.
After Murad Awawdeh of the New York Immigration Coalition declared that on Saturday protesters who tried to stop federal agents from leaving a parking lot were "putting their bodies on the line to defend their neighbors," co-host Elise Jordan asked him how protesters managed to organize themselves into acting, leading him to recall:
I think what ended up happening is several people saw what was happening in the parking lot and then quickly went to social media and started texting people in group chats and saying, "Hey, this thing is happening -- we don't know what's going to happen." Reports and rumor mills were swirling that there was supposed to be allegedly a 600-man federal agent raid on Canal Street yesterday, and that's what these protesters -- ordinary New Yorkers who stepped up to defend their neighbors -- were able to stop.
Without anyone mentioning that it is illegal to obstruct federal agents who are enforcing the law, co-host Catherine Rampell followed up by asking her liberal guest to give viewers advice on how to take part in such liberal activism:
Murad, do you have advice for regular people who might be watching this show right now for how they should react if something like this happens in their neighborhood? What are best practices to protect their neighbors without escalating, without giving the administration the excuse that it's looking for to escalate and potentially, you know, lead to violence or teargas or various other things? What are the things that you would recommend people do or don't do in these circumstances?
After Antonia Hylton asked Awawdeh to predict what would happen if federal agents persist in targeting New York, he asserted:
Well, for the past 11 months, we've seen them ramp up escalations and enforcement across the city of New York and the state of New York. We saw them raid farms immediately after this administration came into office. We saw them raid workplaces. We've been seeing them escalating throughout all of New York City -- Elmhurst, Corona, Jackson Heights, Sunset Park. These places have been constantly attacked, and what they're doing in this moment, similar to what they did the first time, is they're looking for a spectacle. They're looking for the theatrics so that they have the excuse, as you mentioned, to actually escalate here. And we're not giving that to them.
Wrapping up the segment, Jordan asked him to define what it means for New York to be a sanctuary city, leading him to complain about the NYPD intervening to arrest protesters who were obstructing federal agents.
Transcript follows:
MS NOW's The Weekend: Primetime
November 30, 2025
6:33 p.m. Eastern
MURAD AWAWDEH, NEW YORK IMMIGRATION COALITION: Ordinary New Yorkers who are walking and, you know, doing their business on, you know, a super-sale weekend saw that there was some activity happening with federal agents congregating in this parking lot, and then shortly thereafter what seemed to be a few people turned into dozens to hundreds, making sure that they were actually putting their bodies on the line to defend their neighbors.
And I think one thing people should know about New Yorkers if they don't know already is that, you know, we may not be the nicest all the time, but one thing you can't do is mess with our neighbors or other New Yorkers because what makes New York City is its people and who they are. So we're going to continue fighting and defending each other and making sure that we're stepping up and resisting in a nonviolent way to ensure that our communities stay whole -- that no family is separated, and that our communities continue to thrive.
ELISE JORDAN: So what's your best estimate on the number of protesters who were there and who were blocking the officers from leaving the parking garage as you witnessed it?
AWAWDEH: Well, I think the number --
JORDAN: Were they just spontaneous protesters? Or did they get a call from their networks of protests -- you know, people saying, "Hey, come together -- let's do this"?
AWAWDEH: I think what ended up happening is several people saw what was happening in the parking lot and then quickly went to social media and started texting people in group chats and saying, "Hey, this thing is happening -- we don't know what's going to happen." Reports and rumor mills were swirling that there was supposed to be allegedly a 600-man federal agent raid on Canal Street yesterday, and that's what these protesters -- ordinary New Yorkers who stepped up to defend their neighbors -- were able to stop.
CATHERINE RAMPELL: Murad, do you have advice for regular people who might be watching this show right now for how they should react if something like this happens in their neighborhood? What are best practices to protect their neighbors without escalating, without giving the administration the excuse that it's looking for to escalate and potentially, you know, lead to violence or teargas or various other things? What are the things that you would recommend people do or don't do in these circumstances?
(MURAD AWAWDEH)
ANTONIA HYLTON: Murad, do you think that this is a preview of what's to come? We know that the Trump administration has wanted to come to New York, but this is a very dense city. It's also a city with a rich organizing history that your organization is very much a part of. And so already it seems from the first Canal Street raid to what we saw happen yesterday, they're going to hit some roadblocks that they might not have experienced in other parts of this country. What do you think it's going to look like if Tom Homan, Greg Bovino and all those guys try to really ramp things up here in 2026?
AWAWDEH: Well, for the past 11 months, we've seen them ramp up escalations and enforcement across the city of New York and the state of New York. We saw them raid farms immediately after this administration came into office. We saw them raid workplaces. We've been seeing them escalating throughout all of New York City -- Elmhurst, Corona, Jackson Heights, Sunset Park. These places have been constantly attacked, and what they're doing in this moment, similar to what they did the first time, is they're looking for a spectacle. They're looking for the theatrics so that they have the excuse, as you mentioned, to actually escalate here. And we're not giving that to them.
What we are going to do is to continue to defend and protect our communities, we're going to continue to organize, and we're going to continue to build power for all New Yorkers to ensure that they are able to continue to live their lives because this city would not be the city -- throughout every generation of immigrants who have come here have built it from our roads to our bridges to our skyscrapers to our local economy so the food -- everyone wants to come here because of our communities. So we're going to continue to harness that power and lead with our New York values.
JORDAN: So the New York police commissioner -- Jessica Tisch -- it was reported in the New York Times that she was very critical of this attempt, and she said it put New York City residents at risk, and it put police force at risk, but New York City, though, it's a sanctuary city. Sometimes police officers here are helping with crowd control or something. Could you explain what is the law and the policy of the New York City police navigating this line between federal and local governments?
AWAWDEH: So, first, yesterday, the NYPD did escalate and attack violently protesters who were then arrested and then charged. We're calling on those protesters to be released and their charges to be dropped. The second piece here is that New York City is a sanctuary city, meaning that we love and cherish every single person who makes it what it is. We want to make sure that we are all walking home together. And that's literally it.
So the NYPD -- there are certain laws on the books that say they are not allowed to coordinate or collaborate with federal immigration enforcement on civil immigration issues. So what you saw yesterday is walking in a grey area because what they ended up doing while saying that they're not supporting -- which they were -- they were saying -- they were using the excuse as crowd control, but that's neither here nor there. What we saw was ICE congregating -- getting ready to attack New Yorkers and then NYPD coming to their defense when people pretty much foiled their plans.
JORDAN: Murad, thank you so much for being with us and sharing your expertise.
. steve malzberg
. steve malzberg
