In this image made from video by PIX11, a person, center, leans against the robes of the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island, as one of the police officers climbed up on a ladder to stand on a ledge nearby talking the climber into descending in New York, Wednesday, July 4, 2018. (PIX11 via AP)
Published Wednesday, July 4, 2018 | 7:09 p.m.
Updated Thursday, July 5, 2018 | 8:54 a.m.
NEW YORK — Authorities say a Fourth of July protester who held police at bay for hours after she climbed the base of the Statue of Liberty, causing an evacuation, will face a judge in New York.
A federal official says the woman told police she was protesting the separation of immigrant children from parents who cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.
A court appearance is expected sometime Thursday.
The official identifies the woman as Therese Okoumou. The official wasn't authorized to discuss it and spoke on the condition of anonymity. A message left at a possible phone number for the defendant hasn't been returned.
A group that organized a protest at the statue earlier Wednesday says she also took part in unfurling a banner at the statue's pedestal.
