Guardian Angels founder and former New York City mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa was among those arrested Sunday at a street protest of a Staten Island shelter for asylum seekers.
Backlash has come from the community and local elected official since a former assisted living facility was selected to house some of the migrants who have streamed into New York City, silive.com reported.
Another rally also was held on Staten Island last week, the news outlet noted.
Protesters filled sidewalks, a road median, and a portion of a major boulevard as speakers argued against the shelter at Sunday's protest, headed by Sliwa, Staten Island artist Scott LoBaido, and former New York City comptroller candidate John Tabacco.
Signs and chants demanded "close the borders," and "stop the invasion," silive.com reported. Police monitored the event and provided crowd control.
"I've taken it upon myself to lead this effort with good people all throughout New York state, because they are not going to get away with invading our country with illegal aliens," Sliwa told the crowd, the news outlet reported.
He also called on Mayor Eric Adams to open up the official mayoral residence, Gracie Mansion, to asylum-seekers rather than opening shelter sites across the city's five boroughs.
Sliwa then led the blocking of the road in front of the designated Staten Island shelter facility.
"Today, this is not Republican versus Democrat versus independents," he said, silive.com reported. "We're joined together at the hip in solidarity. It's us and we, not I and me. It's Americans versus those who would destroy the America that we know."
After warning protesters to leave the roadway and retreat to sidewalk or face arrest and charges of disorderly conduct, police officers arrested Sliwa and LoBaido along with several other protesters, the news outlet reported.
For Sliwa, it was his 79th arrest, the news outlet reported, with the most recent during a protest of a tent shelter in Queens for asylum seekers.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., called for charges to be dropped against those arrested Sunday, the outlet reported.
"In the summer of 2020, police were told to lay off BLM protesters rioting in our streets," she said in a statement. "But now citizens peacefully protesting the city's secret deal that led to the eviction of senior citizens at an assisted living facility to house migrants who illegally entered our country at taxpayer expense are being arrested at the direction of our mayor.
"This is outrageous and I call on our district attorney to drop any and all charges against Curtis Sliwa, Scott Lobaido, and the other concerned citizens who were wrongfully arrested."
The use of a converted assisted living facility is estimated to cost New York more than $12 billion through July 2025, with the city already having spent $1.45 billion, according to the outlet.
More than 50,000 migrants remain in the city's care, prompting 198 emergency shelter sites around the five boroughs, silive.com reported.
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