A protester who climbed the Statue of Liberty's base has been escorted down by police after a roughly four-hour standoff that forced the evacuation of Liberty Island on the Fourth of July. (July 4) AP
New York cops with ropes and ladders scaled up a portion of the Statue of Liberty on Wednesday for a dramatic July 4th capture of a female protester who hoisted herself up the robes of the statue to call attention on U.S. treatment of migrant families.
The Statue of Liberty was closed while police tried to talk the woman down. Television footage showed the woman traversing the base of the statue and sitting in the folds of the statue's dress and under Lady Liberty's sandal.
Earlier in the day, seven protesters unfurled a banner reading "Abolish I.C.E." at the statue, prompting officials to close the national monument to tourists.
Jerry Willis, a spokesman with the National Park Service, told USA TODAY that the climber was still sitting on the base of the statue and talking to police as of the early evening Wednesday. She was taken into custody with no apparent injuries after about a four-hour standoff.
The Associated Press, citing an unnamed federal official, said the woman told police she was protesting the separation of immigrant children from parents who cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.
Willis said the national monument was closed Wednesday out of "an abundance of caution" after the events. As of 4:30 p.m., tourists were being loaded on boats off the island and no new boats were headed for the island, he said.
"We've had two unusual events occur back-to-back," Willis told WABC News in New York. "So for the safety and security of our visitors, we decided to evacuate for the day . . . It's our busiest week of the year, historically. The island at this time of the day is mostly near capacity, at 4,000 to 4,500 people. All boats have been tasked with moving people off the island. Given the heat of the day, the visitors complied with no issues."
The activist group behind the banner, Rise and Resist, tweeted that the climber wasn’t connected to its demonstration and expressed concern for the climber’s safety.
The New York-based group opposes President Donald Trump’s administration and advocates ending deportations and family separations at the U.S.-Mexico border.
