New York City officials and residents faced heightened tensions this week as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted a targeted operation in Chinatown, resulting in multiple arrests and sparking protests. The raid, which focused on street vendors selling counterfeit goods along Canal Street, marked a significant escalation in federal immigration enforcement within the city.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons emphasized that the operation was intelligence-driven and not a random sweep. “You will see an increase in ICE arrests because there are so many criminal illegal aliens that have been released … and especially are being harbored in New York City,” Lyons explained. He added that the agency plans to expand its efforts across all five boroughs to address what he described as criminal activity among illegal immigrants.
During the operation, agents arrested nine illegal immigrants with criminal histories, including charges related to robbery, burglary, assault, counterfeiting, drug trafficking, and forgery. DHS officials noted that most of those detained had been previously released into the United States. In addition, at least five protesters were briefly held, with four of them identified as U.S. citizens who were released within 24 hours.
The raid sparked immediate criticism from local leaders and community groups. Councilman Christopher Marte called the operation “terrorizing” to illegal immigrant residents, and the New York Immigration Coalition labeled it a “horrifying display of federal overreach.” Residents confronted masked ICE agents, chanting and trying to block the arrests. While street vending and counterfeit sales had long been a concern, the intensity of the federal response surprised many.
The raid comes amid heightened political scrutiny of federal immigration policy under the Trump administration, with Lyons stating that such operations are part of a broader push to enforce laws in jurisdictions perceived as sheltering illegal immigrants. Despite the controversy, ICE maintained that the operation was a planned enforcement action aimed at enhancing public safety and reducing criminal activity in one of Manhattan’s busiest commercial corridors.
