LGBTQ+ activists and civil rights advocates are raising the alarm following a sharp and targeted increase in arrests at a known gay cruising spot inside New York City’s Penn Station, where over 200 men have been detained since June, many of them accused of public lewdness.
The surge in arrests, which follows Pride Month, is part of a controversial enforcement effort led by Amtrak police and has been described by critics as a thinly veiled attack on queer communities, particularly gay and bisexual men, immigrants, and people of color.
Before June 2025, NYPD data showed only 12 arrests had been made at the men’s restrooms near the Eighth Avenue and 31st Street entrance. Since then, that number has exploded. According to The Gothamist, more than 200 men have been arrested at that location alone, many of whom were reportedly identified as users of the LGBTQ+ hookup app Sniffies, which maps public meet-up spots including the Penn Station restrooms.
LGBTQ+ New Yorkers Say They’re Being Targeted
For many, the sudden spike in police presence has caused fear and confusion. David, a 31-year-old health worker who spoke anonymously to The City, said he was arrested simply for standing in line for a urinal while wearing a rainbow armband. He alleges that the officers involved bragged after the arrest, saying they had “caught three more f** pervs.”
David was later released and the charges were dropped in Manhattan Criminal Court. But others haven’t been so fortunate.
At least 20 of the men arrested at Penn Station have been handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to legal advocates. One such man, a Mexican national with a pending asylum case and an American spouse, spent a month in immigration detention before a judge ordered his release.
Amtrak police, as a federal agency, are not bound by New York City’s sanctuary laws that prohibit local police from cooperating with ICE. This loophole has become a flashpoint for immigration advocates and LGBTQ+ legal groups alike.
Lawmakers and Legal Experts Speak Out
In a joint letter to Amtrak Police, New York City Councilmembers Erik Bottcher and Tiffany Cabán condemned the crackdown as “discriminatory policing” and “deeply alarming violations of civil rights.”
“These tactics target vulnerable members of our community who already face disproportionate harassment and violence,” the letter read.
Jared Trujillo, an assistant professor at CUNY School of Law and LGBTQ+ rights advocate, posted a viral TikTok video warning the public of disturbing police behavior. Trujillo claimed that plainclothes officers were initiating sexual contact in the restrooms before arresting individuals who “respond in any way,” framing them for public lewdness.
“This is entrapment, plain and simple,” Trujillo said. “This is about criminalizing queer existence in public spaces.”
Fear Spreads Across Hookup Networks
On apps like Sniffies, users have begun circulating warnings about Penn Station. “Stop playing in [Penn Station],” one anonymous post read. “They have undercover cops hiding in the bathrooms, arresting people. It’s not funny, it’s scary.”
The crackdown comes amid an increasingly hostile political climate for LGBTQ+ people and immigrants. President Donald Trump, now in his second term, has aggressively ramped up immigration raids, with masked ICE agents appearing in cities across the country. He has also publicly vowed to eliminate “drag shows and any woke agenda” in the U.S. military and has blamed mass shootings on “trans mass shooters” without evidence.
Under his administration, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs have been stripped from many federal agencies, and LGBTQ+ federal employees are reportedly being purged from government positions.
The Bigger Picture
Advocates argue that the Penn Station arrests are not isolated, they’re part of a broader trend of erasing queer people from public life through both policy and policing. As federal forces increasingly disregard local protections, particularly in sanctuary cities like New York, LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities are left exposed.
“This is about criminalizing queerness and deterring community,” said immigration attorney Danney Salvatierra, who is representing one of the men arrested. “People are being torn from their families and placed in cages for simply existing.”
