Statue of Liberty evacuated on 4th of July due to anti-Trump climber
The climber was protesting Mr Trump's immigration policy and child detention. Photo: AP
New York’s Statue of Liberty has been evacuated on the Fourth of July public holiday after a protester scaled the landmark in protest at US President Donald Trump’s immigration policy.
Several people hung a banner from the statue’s pedestal on Thursday morning (AEST) calling for the abolition of the US’s immigration enforcement agency. Another person scaled its base.
Liberty Island, where the statue is located, was evacuated as the female climber alternately sat or lay down by the bottom edge of the statue’s famous robes for more than two hours, news helicopter footage showed.
Police standing on a ladder and a ledge nearby attempted to talk the woman into descending from the spot, which was about 30 metres above ground.
Authorities said the woman told officers she would not come down until all the migrant children were released from detention.
The climber ascended about eight metres from the statue’s observation point, National Park Service spokesman Jerry Willis said, forcing the evacuation of visitors before the normal 6.15pm closure local time.
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Police in climbing gear eventually reached the woman and arrested her.
Earlier and further below, at least six people were arrested after unfurling a banner that read “Abolish I.C.E.”, the message referring to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a part of the Department of Homeland Security.
ICE officers arrest and deport immigrants who are in the US illegally.
Mr Willis said federal regulations prohibited hanging banners from the monument.
The activist group behind the banner, Rise and Resist, tweeted that the climber wasn’t connected to its demonstration. The tweet expressed concern for the climber’s safety.
The New York-based group opposes Mr Trump’s administration and advocates ending deportations and family separations at the US-Mexico border.
US Attorney-General Jeff Sessions has said Mr Trump’s immigration policy is a step forward for public safety.
Under the zero-tolerance policy, the government requires border agents to arrest and prosecute anyone caught entering the US illegally. That resulted in more than 2000 children being separated from their parents within six weeks this northern spring.
Under public pressure, Mr Trump later halted his policy of taking children from their detained parents.
Late last month, a federal judge in California ordered the Trump administration to reunite the more than 2000 children with their parents in 30 days, or 14 days for those younger than five.
-with AAP
