As anti-ICE riots continue in parts of the country, New York City reported one of the lowest arrest rates in the nation on Tuesday night. Democratic Mayor Eric Adams attributed this success to extensive levels of police training.

The demonstrations, which started in Los Angeles, have since spread to Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Tampa, and San Francisco.

Recommended Stories

• LA spent years defunding police before anti-ICE riots
• LA police announce hundreds of arrests as Bass’s curfew puts damper on rioters 
• Anti-ICE protests go beyond LA: Which other cities have seen demonstrations

“We will allow peaceful protests, but we will not allow you to destroy our city or harm innocent people,” Adams said on NewsMax’s For the Record With Greta on Wednesday. “And we will take action whenever that takes place.”

86 people were arrested related to protests on Tuesday night. Earlier this week, 24 people were taken into police custody during a protest at Trump Tower.

Adams said most of the people who cause a disturbance are not residents; rather, they come in to “embed themselves into issues.”

“They have one goal in mind, and that is to provoke and to create disruption and disorder, particularly with our law enforcement community,” Adams said. “We identify them immediately, remove them from the crowds, and take proper police practice when they cross the line.”

Adams used the antisemitism protests at Columbia University as another example of “agitators that want to come on our college campuses and radicalize our students,” from other parts of the country.

“These are professional people who believe in disruption and destruction of property,” Adams said.

Using the prior protests as a learning lesson, Adams said that the police undergo extensive training to ensure safety in New York City.

At the protests this week, police have faced insults, but have managed to stay professional. Adams said that during their training, they focus on the mantra “don’t get hooked.”

“Don’t let anyone take you out of your professional responsibilities, that’s crucial.”

The police are prepared for large protests that could occur, and have specialty units on backup, according to Adams.

“Whatever equipment that’s needed, whatever training that’s needed, we’re going to do it,” Adams added. “I’m not taking any shortcuts and keeping our city safe. We know what any type of major disorder or riot can do, and I just refuse to take any chance when we do that. My specialty units are going to do just that, they’re going to respond to these incidents.”

LEFT-WING GROUPS PLAN EVENTS TO COUNTER ARMY’S 250TH DC BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

These demonstrations could be “pop-up protests” with a few hundred people, or larger groups of several thousands, according to Adams.

“This department is really trained to handle large crowds and disruptive environments and we respond accordingly,” according to Adams.