NEW YORK —June Rose, the Chief of Staff to the Providence City Council President, was reportedly arrested on Thursday, March 13, during a protest inside Trump Tower in New York City. The demonstration, organized by the activist group Jewish Voice for Peace, aimed to denounce the recent immigration arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a prominent pro-Palestinian activist and former Columbia University graduate student who led protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza.
According to posts on X and local reports, Rose was among nearly 100 protesters detained by the New York Police Department after the group filled the Trump Tower lobby, chanting slogans like “Bring Mahmoud home now!” and displaying banners with messages such as “Jews say stop arming Israel.”
Rose says he grew up an Orthodox Jew.
“I’ll use every moment to fight for an immediate ceasefire and an arms embargo. I grew up an Orthodox Jew. For 2/3 of my life, I believed the occupation was necessary for my safety,” he said recently on X.
The protesters, many wearing red shirts, were issued warnings to disperse before police moved in, arresting 98 individuals on charges including trespassing, obstruction, and resisting arrest. Rose’s specific charges remain unclear at this time, and the Providence City Council has not yet issued an official statement regarding the incident.
This is not Rose’s first encounter with law enforcement during a protest. In June 2024, Rose was arrested in Washington, D.C., while participating in a demonstration against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress.
That protest, also aligned with pro-Palestinian causes, highlighted Rose’s history of activism on issues related to Israel and Palestine. Identifying as nonbinary and queer, Rose has been an outspoken figure in Providence’s political scene, serving as a Democratic delegate to the Democratic National Convention and a key aide to the City Council President.
The Trump Tower protest stemmed from the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on March 8, 2025, outside his New York City apartment. Khalil, a permanent U.S. resident married to an American citizen, faces deportation despite not being charged with any crime. His detention has sparked outrage among activists, who view it as an attack on free speech and a signal of the Trump administration’s intent to crack down on campus dissent. President Donald Trump has publicly stated that Khalil’s arrest is the “first of many to come,” targeting what he calls “pro-terrorist, anti-Semitic, anti-American activity” among students.