Two protesters were arrested Monday after allegedly plastering anti-ICE posters on the doors of a Citizens Bank in the Back Bay.
Around noon, roughly 20 protesters from Northeast Action for Immigrant Justice gathered at a Citizens Bank on Boylston Street across from Copley Square Park.
They began plastering the glass windows of the business with posters bearing the faces of people who have been detained or deported by ICE or have died in immigrant detention facilities, while waving signs at passersby, organizers said. At 12:30 p.m., dozens of bright yellow posters were stuck to the glass.
Officers responded shortly after noon to reports of a protest, police said.
Two protesters, identified by organizers as Betsy Leondar-Wright and Steve Lewin-Berlin, were taken into custody within 15 minutes of the start of the protest while putting up posters, organizers said.
Police confirmed two people were arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and defacement of property.
After the arrests, demonstrators remained outside the bank, chanting and making chalk drawings on the sidewalk while six police officers looked on. Police did not immediately remove the fliers, and no further arrests were made.
Organizers said the protest was meant to draw attention to the bank’s support of The GEO Group, which owns and operates almost 100 for-profit prison facilities, including 19 ICE detention centers, Time magazine reported in February.
According to a securities filing first reported by Banking Dive, Citizens Bank increased The GEO Group’s borrowing ceiling to $100 million in January — the same month that anti-ICE sentiment increased in response to enforcement actions in Minneapolis and the fatal shootings of two protesters.
Citizens has also faced criticism for its funding ties to CoreCivic, another detention facility operator that is ICE’s fifth-largest contractor, according to the Project on Government Oversight, a nonprofit watchdog.
“We want to stop the deportation machine, and this is one way to do it,” said . Annie Gonzalez, minister of faith development at First Parish in Bedford.
“[Citizens] mission statement says they’re pro-community,“ she said. ”So how about you really do what you’re saying you’re going to do and pull back this credit.”
In a statement, a Citizens spokesperson said “we respect the right to peaceful expression, but we do not allow anyone to place materials on branch property or engage in conduct that disrupts normal operations.”
“As a matter of policy, we don’t comment on specific client relationships but remain committed to serving all stakeholders,” said spokesperson Rory Sheehan. “We remain deeply committed to Massachusetts —investing $400 million in equity and loan commitments in 2025 to finance the construction or revitalization of more than 1,200 new units of affordable housing, contributing more than 40,000 volunteer hours, and providing more than $2.7 million in grants to local nonprofit organizations.”
Alan Linov, a protester from Arlington, said the group has been active in other demonstrations related to ICE, though none have resulted in arrests. On March 23, protesters took part in a sit-in at Citizens Bank headquarters in Providence, R.I., Linov said.
They dispersed that day following arrest threats but no one was taken into custody, he said.
On Tuesday, the protest was disbanded by 2 p.m. and the posters were removed.
Correction: A previous version of this story said protesters plastered bank doors with posters. Posters were only stuck to bank windows.
Bryan Hecht can be reached at bryan.hecht@globe.com. Follow him on Instagram @bhechtjournalism.