Federal agents carry out joint ICE crackdown on Canal Street in Chinatown
The NYPD, Mayor Adams say they had no involvement in the raid
CHINATOWN, Manhattan (WABC) -- Tempers flared Tuesday night as federal agents carried out a joint Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdown on New York City's Canal Street, targeting illegal street vending according to federal law enforcement officials.
NewsCopter 7 showed arrests taking place between Lafayette and Center streets in Chinatown, an area typically busy with merchants selling T-shirts, handbags, perfumes, and designer knockoffs, as New Yorkers faced off against federal agents.
The scene grew chaotic as vendors packed up their tables and attempted to flee, with several people seen running and falling as authorities from multiple agencies, including Homeland Security, ICE, DEA and the FBI, pursued them.
As agents tried to detain individuals, crowds of New Yorkers gathered, shouting and pushing in an attempt to intervene. Some bystanders were heard cursing at officers, one officer was seen pointing his taser at the angry crowd, and several arrests were made.
Some vendors said they were asked to show passports or proof of legal status, but it's unclear where the detained individuals were taken away.
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Traffic along Canal Street came to a standstill, with cars trapped between law enforcement officers and bystanders watching the arrests unfold.
A spokesperson for Homeland Security said, "ICE and its federal partners, including FBI, DEA, ATF, IRS-CI and CBP conducted a targeted, intelligence-driven enforcement operation on Canal Street in New York City, focused on criminal activity relating to selling counterfeit good."
The NYPD said they had no involvement in the operation, and a statement from Mayor Eric Adams offered a similar response, saying in part, "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," Mayor Adams said. "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."
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Meanwhile, the candidates for New York City mayor reacted to the raid on social media, with Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, calling the crack down an "aggressive and reckless raid on immigrant street vendors," and adding, "once again, the Trump administration chooses authoritarian theatrics that create fear, not safety. It must stop."
Former Governor Andrew Cuomo called the raid, "an abuse of federal power by the Trump administration: more about fear than justice, more about politics than safety."
The flash point in Chinatown triggered a night of protests in Lower Manhattan outside federal buildings.
"I am so angry. What are they doing to our city? It's terrible," said New York City resident Nicole Parcher.
Immigration enforcement leads to violence in other cities
New York wasn't the only city where immigration enforcement took a violent turn on Tuesday.
In Los Angeles, an ICE operation left two people shot, including a U.S. marshal.
Homeland Security officials say the marshal and a suspected undocumented immigrant with a criminal record were wounded during a traffic stop.
Last week in Chicago, an immigration enforcement operation led to a dramatic chase through a residential neighborhood ending with a PIT maneuver.
The incident was followed by anti-ICE protests and clashes, leading a federal judge there to restrict the use of tear gas and order agents to wear body cameras, expressing concern about aggressive tactics.
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