NYC NOW - Evening Roundup: New Yorkers Join Nationwide Immigration Protests, Council Members Call for More Public Transit Discounts, and Saying “I Do” Amid Courthouse Chaos

Episode Date: June 11, 2025

The recent protests in Los Angeles over the Trump administration's immigration enforcement are spreading to other parts of the country, including New York City. Plus, some City Councilmembers are pressuring Mayor Adams to let more New Yorkers ride public transit at a discount. And finally, weddings carry on as usual alongside high-profile trials and immigration arrests at the city clerk’s office.

New Yorkers join nationwide immigration protests. Council members call for more public transit discounts and saying, I do, amid courthouse chaos. From WNYC, this is NYC now. I'm Jene Pierre. The recent protests in Los Angeles over the Trump administration's immigration enforcement are spreading to other parts of the country, including New York City. On Tuesday, a large crowd gathered outside federal immigration headquarters in Foley Square. Elizabeth Wagner of Bushwick was one of them.

She says she's speaking out because she's disturbed by the recent immigration raids. Treating these people as criminals and rounding them up as if they're violent, it's just wrong. I mean, it's just horrifying. Overall, police arrested more than 80 people Tuesday. WMYC's Ben Fewer Heard has been covering the protests. Ben, describe the scene Tuesday night. So a pretty large crowd gathered at Foley Square first around 5 p.m. There were a number of speakers who talked to the crowd.

So after about an hour of speeches and things, a majority of the crowd set off marching through the streets of Lower Manhattan at first. They eventually made their way to Six Avenue. And it was a pretty, like, massive crowd. I can remember looking down Sixth Avenue and just seeing it extend for blocks. Wow. So the crowd marched to the federal building just down the block from here on Varick Street. I've chanted outside there for about 20 minutes. and then marched up to Washington Square Park.

And then around like 8.30, most people dispersed from the park. But the NYPD says later that a group that had sort of broken off of the march got into confrontations with officers outside of the federal building on 26 federal plaza. Okay. And all of this is in contrast to protests that happened on Monday, right? Yeah. So Monday, it was much smaller and it was like sort of squarely focused right at 26 federal plaza. And that night there was probably fewer than a hundred. hundred protesters, most of whom were wearing masks and goggles and sunglasses that seemed to be

like a little more aggressive towards officers. And they were there to ostensibly block vans that come out of the building that they think are carrying. People have been detained by ICE. In contrast on Tuesday, I mean, the crowd was, it seemed like everyday New Yorkers. People who I spoke to were happy to go on the record and pose for photos even and talk about why they came out that night. Did it feel dangerous at all?

No, so Tuesday, the march itself felt perfectly peaceful, perfectly normal. I want to talk about the NYPD's response to this because, as I mentioned at the top, at least 80 people were arrested. I think there might certainly be a difference in how the NYPD is responding to say, like, the group that marched in the streets on Tuesday, you know, they were blocking traffic on 6th Avenue at rush hour, but the NYPD basically didn't interfere with them at all. In contrast, the NYPD response to the group on Monday night and the group outside of 26 Federal Plaza, I think, has been harsher. Monday night, the group outside the federal plaza briefly stepped into the street at Foley Square, and the NYPD fired up loud speakers to play a message saying, you are unlawfully in the street, please get back on the sidewalk or you'll be subject to arrest.

Whereas Tuesday night, they marched blocks and blocks on 6th Avenue and the NYPD, let them do it. And I think that could be just the sheer size of the crowd that was there on Tuesday, or it could be the different postures of the different groups in the protests. That's WMYC's been fewer heard. In other local news, Fairfares isn't just a discount. It's a lifeline. New York City Council members Sylvana Brooks Powers and other local leaders

are pressuring Mayor Adams to let more New Yorkers ride public transit at a discount. Council Speaker Adrian Adams is also among members calling to expand eligibility for the Fairfares program in next year's city budget. This is important because public transit is the lifeblood of our city. Being able to afford the fair means you can pursue job opportunities and go to school, see your friends, and meet your everyday obligations. Right now, only people earning up to 145% of the federal poverty line are eligible. Council members and transit advocates want to raise that to 200%.

City Hall says it's too soon. to expand fairfares again, arguing the city should first assess the impact of recent changes. At the city clerk's office, weddings carry on as usual, alongside high-profile trials and immigration arrests, saying, I do, amid courthouse chaos. That's after the break. A stone's throw from the Brooklyn Bridge in lower Manhattan, hundreds of couples get married each week at the city clerk's building. June is one of the busiest months. Native New Yorkers, transplants, immigrants, and even Even tourists say their vows there, right next to some of the busiest courthouses in the country. WMYC's Samantha Max reports, these couples are basking blissfully in their New York love stories,

even as a hectic New York news cycle churns around them. It's just after 10 a.m. on a Monday morning, and Christian and Emily Yaros are celebrating. I am so sorry to bother you. Congratulations on getting married. Emily Yaros is dressed in an ankle-length off-werelict. white dress with long sleeves and a turtleneck. Her lips are painted red and she's holding a bouquet of white roses. Her now husband, Christian Yaros, is holding a hot dog. Very New York. Tell me about that decision. Was that pre-planned or spontaneous? She's got it all.

She had a whole itinerary. Emily Yaros is from the Bronx. She says the hot dogs were a way to honor her city roots. What do you get on it? Just ketchup. I like ketchup. No mustard. Apparently known mustard on New York. Apparently. The Yaros' came to the Marriage Bureau to get the legal part out of the way before a more symbolic ceremony with their loved ones. For many couples, it's an accessible option for a wedding on a budget. For just $25, couples can make an appointment on NYC Cupid for a 15-minute ceremony with a government officiant. Emily Yaros says she was impressed with the woman who married them. I think that she had that New York charm.

It was like, all right, we're busy. This is business kind of thing and we're going to do this and have a great time. Sukraty Segal says she and her now husband, Devanch Culture, decided to tie the knot here because they didn't want to spend a lot of money on an elaborate wedding. We're both from India, so all our friends and family are there, so we'll probably throw a party when we go back there. But right now, we just wanted to get married in a small and intimate ceremony. According to the Marriage Bureau, between 75 and 100 couples get married in this building

every weekday. That's nearly 20,000 ceremonies a year. The newlyweds, white dresses, and entourages of loved ones stand out amid the lawyers and protesters and noisy traffic around the downtown courthouses. Lately, this area has been particularly busy. Did you guys know that there's like a couple of celebrities that are on trial in the courthouses here right now? In the state courthouse next door, former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein has been facing a new sex crimes trial. At federal buildings around the corner, officers have been arresting immigrants who say they are in the country illegally. And across the street, music mogul Sean Diddy Combs has been fighting racketeering and sex trafficking charges. The courthouse hoopla is just far enough from the city clerk's building that none of the couples who I asked,

knew these big trials were happening, mere yards away from where they exchanged their vows. I haven't been involved in. Do you know who P. Diddy is, the rapper? It's okay, if you don't know. Yeah, it's okay. The Harvey Weinstein and the P. Diddy trials. Like right now?

Yeah, P. Diddy, like the rapper and Harvey Weinstein. Oh, that's awesome. The city clerk's office says high-profile trials like the Combs and Weinstein cases don't affect its day-to-day operations. wedding parties are often too focused on their celebration to notice the New York City chaos. So at one end of the block, there are social media personalities live-streaming updates about the Combs trial and photographers camped out under a row of tents. And on the other end, a father-daughter duo has found another way to make a New York City living.

A young woman named Dora sells bouquets of flowers and gold rings for superiors. to be married couples in a pinch. She's also her dad, Bralio Quenka, is ready to capture the romantic moment with his camera. For more than 25 years, the Ecuadorian immigrant

has been photographing weddings at the city clerk's office. He says each wedding is emotional and every couple is different. He says every person is a different. He says every person is their own world with their own heart and way of being. Quenka likes to focus on these happy moments and keep his distance from the heavy news that surrounds

him. He blesses the brides and grooms he photographs and he warns them that their life together will pass by quickly. Quenka tells the newlyweds to be happy and take good care of each other. Perhaps a more heartfelt message than you would hear from a judge and a new judge and a newly woman. nearby courtroom. That's WNYC's Samantha Max. Thanks for listening to NYC now from WMYC.

I'm Jenae Pierre. We'll be back tomorrow.