A woman was arrested Wednesday after staging a dramatic protest against President Donald Trump's separation of migrant children from parents, climbing the Statue of Liberty in New York and forcing its evacuation on Independence Day.
Wearing a "Rise and Resist" T-shirt, the woman on the fabled symbol of welcome to immigrants at one point told authorities that she would only come down when parents are reunited with all migrant children separated from them.
"She resisted at the beginning. She would not come down by voice command," National Park Service spokesman Jerry Willis told AFP.
So police placed her in custody, Willis said, noting that the woman was facing multiple federal charges including trespassing and disorderly conduct.
"We assume that she is protesting," Willis said, based on the woman's remarks to police.
After a nearly four-hour standoff, the woman finally accompanied police down off the monument, tethered to them by wires.
The woman at one point walked from one side to the other beneath the statue's base.
New York police assisted US Park Police to remove her from Lady Liberty.
A federal official identified the woman as Therese Okoumou. The official wasn't authorized to discuss it and spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.
Local media first reported that the woman was among demonstrators opposed to Trump's immigration policy who protested at the site earlier.
But Rise and Resist NYC, which organized the protest, said her protest on the statue was not part of the group's move.
At least six people were arrested for hanging a banner around the base of the statue that read "Abolish ICE," referring to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency at the forefront of the immigration debate.
They too were facing misdemeanor federal charges, Willis said.
Cruise operator Statue Cruises said it had to turn away more than 2,000 people waiting to take their tour to the famed statue.
Trump’s one-time "zero tolerance" practice of separating migrant parents from their children at the Mexican border triggered international condemnation.
While the policy was abandoned, it is still unclear how and when some 2,000 migrant children will be reunited with their parents.
