Emotional Reporter Says New York City Looks Like ‘War Zone’ As Alleged Agitators Clash With Feds

NewsNation correspondent Jessica Kartalija said Tuesday during on-the-ground reporting that Manhattan looked like a “war zone” as she witnessed alleged agitators clash with federal officials.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were reportedly conducting an operation near Canal Street between Church and Broadway, allegedly detaining at least one person, according to PIX11. Following the incident, chaos reportedly broke out on Lafayette Street as a crowd formed, eventually moving toward 26 Federal Plaza, New York City’s immigration courts and an ICE holding facility.

“But this is Manhattan, and it’s 2025, and it looks like a war zone out here. People are masked up, they’re not showing their faces. Everyone has a cell phone out. They’re videoing it and sending it back. It’s just causing such a stir. And, you know, to be totally honest, it’s very difficult to watch,” Kartalija emphatically said.

“This is a city that we love. This is a city where there are so many people who are working very hard. It’s just so incredibly divisive. And regardless of what your view is, it’s a difficult situation all around,” Kartalija added.

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Kartalija could be seen spotting someone on the ground being arrested by federal officials. Running toward the incident, the NewsNation correspondent noted that she had previously seen the individual pushing ICE agents and police officers.

“Now, again, this person, we’ve been watching this person. He has been pushing ICE agents and police, and people have been defending him. There’s another woman right in front. She was also pushing some of these officers. Whether they know someone who was arrested by police for being undocumented is unclear. Again, we’re trying to figure out how many arrests there actually were, there were undocumented immigrants as opposed to protesters, ” a visibly distressed Kartalija continued.