Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents descended on a highly trafficked shopping hub in Manhattan on Tuesday, spurring confrontations by protesters.
Federal agents arrived at Canal Street in Chinatown, where illegal street vendors are known to operate, the Department of Homeland Security said. Some vendors attempted to flee the area, according to New York station WABC, while video from amNY.com shows bystanders pushing toward and accosting officers while chanting “ICE out now.”
ICE agents raided Chinatown’s Canal Street on Tuesday afternoon, detaining several street vendors in an operation that drew immediate and fierce backlash from bystanders and immigrant advocates.https://t.co/oCNwAFWfft pic.twitter.com/JNe0q09pTg
— amNewYork™ (@amNewYork) October 21, 2025
ICE partnered with other federal agencies to conduct “a targeted, intelligence-driven enforcement operation” that was “focused on criminal activity relating to selling counterfeit goods,” Assistant Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the Daily Beast in a statement.
Officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Agency, Internal Revenue Service and Customs and Border Protection were also on scene. Some vendors were asked to show proof of legal status or their passports, according to WABC. The number of arrests made is currently unclear.
McLaughlin added that when protesters gathered, one “rioter” was arrested for allegedly assaulting an officer.
“During this law enforcement operation, rioters who were shouting obscenities, became violent and obstructed law enforcement duties, including blocking vehicles and assaulting law enforcement,” McLaughlin said.
The NYPD said it wasn’t involved in the operation.
In a statement, Mayor Eric Adams said that “New York City does not cooperate with federal law enforcement on civil deportations, in accordance with our local laws.”
“While we gather details about the situation, New Yorkers should know that we have no involvement,” Adams added. “Our administration has been clear that undocumented New Yorkers trying to pursue their American Dreams should not be the target of law enforcement, and resources should instead be focused on violent criminals.”
The frontrunner to succeed Adams as mayor, Zohran Mamdani, condemned the operation.
Federal agents from ICE and HSI—some in military fatigues and masks—descended on Chinatown today in an aggressive and reckless raid on immigrant street vendors.Once again, the Trump administration chooses authoritarian theatrics that create fear, not safety. It must stop. https://t.co/TTAmNlm7Zr
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) October 21, 2025
“Once again, the Trump administration chooses authoritarian theatrics that create fear, not safety,” he wrote on X. “It must stop.”
Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of New York who is running against Mamdani and Republican Curtis Sliwa, likewise criticized the move.
This is not who we are, and it will never be NYC when I am mayor.The Statue of Liberty stands in our harbor, not as a decoration, but as a declaration of our values and the promise of America. Today’s ICE raid in Chinatown was an abuse of federal power by the Trump… https://t.co/Z8QKe4ATCN
— Andrew Cuomo (@andrewcuomo) October 21, 2025
“Today’s ICE raid in Chinatown was an abuse of federal power by the Trump administration: more about fear than justice, more about politics than safety,” he wrote. “New York was built by immigrants and we will not be bullied into betraying who we are.”
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