The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 22nd that federal immigration agents conducted a raid on a busy street in lower Manhattan, New York City, arresting nine illegal immigrants from Africa on the 21st, and that this raid was met with strong backlash from citizens condemning the raid.
According to the report, at around 3:20 p.m. the previous day, dozens of federal agents, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, carrying masks on their faces conducted a large-scale raid on Canal Street near Chinatown in lower Manhattan, New York City. T
he Canal Street area is an area where African immigrants are often seen selling counterfeit luxury goods such as wallets, bags, and watches at street stalls on the sidewalk. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a press release titled “Making New York’s Canal Street Safe Again” on the 23rd, announcing that it had conducted a targeted raid on Canal Street the previous day, based on intelligence.
The DHS stated that the raid was related to criminal activity, including the sale of illegal counterfeit goods, and that nine illegal immigrants were arrested during the raid. The DHS explained that the nine arrested immigrants were from West Africa, including Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, and Guinea, and did not have legal residency status.
Five of them had prior convictions for robbery, theft, domestic violence, assault on a police officer, forgery, drug trafficking, and drug possession. “The majority of those arrested were released under the Joe Biden administration,” said Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Homeland Security.
The large-scale raid by immigration authorities immediately sparked protests. As news of the crackdown spread on social media, protesters began to gather, and additional federal agents arrived with armored vehicles to confront the protesters, creating a chaotic situation for a while, the New York Times reported.
Even after the raid, about 100 citizens gathered around the ICE headquarters in lower Manhattan to protest the raids. The Department of Homeland Security announced on the same day that it had separately arrested five people in connection with the protests. Civic groups in the New York area plan to protest the raids near the ICE headquarters on the evening of the 22nd.
ICE has confirmed that it plans to expand its illegal immigration raids in the New York City area. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said the previous day regarding the raids in New York City, “These were not random raids. They didn’t just pull people off the street. We’re going to see an increase in ICE arrests because there are so many illegal immigrants who have committed crimes in New York City and are being released.”
Meanwhile, the New York Times reported that in the days leading up to the raids, pro-Trump influencers posted videos on social media exposing illegal street vendors in the Canal Street area, garnering significant views.