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NEW YORK: An immigration enforcement sweep targeting vendors on Manhattan’s famed Canal Street turned chaotic on Tuesday after droves of angry New Yorkers surrounded federal agents and attempted to block them from driving off, prompting arrests and fierce stand-offs along a bustling downtown corridor.
The confrontation began shortly after 4 p.m., as federal agents fanned out across a section of Chinatown that has long served as a not-so-underground market for knock-off designer handbags, watches, perfumes, electronics and other goods.
An Associated Press reporter observed dozens of agents as they detained a street vendor selling bedazzled smartphone cases, one of a number of arrests in the area.
A contingent of protesters, many of whom appeared to be on their way home from work, then surrounded the masked officers, attempting to block their vehicle as they shouted “ICE out of New York” and called on other pedestrians to join them.
Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Border Patrol and other federal offices tried to clear the streets, in some cases shoving protesters to the ground and threatening them with pepper spray before detaining them.
As more New Yorkers joined the fray, some of the federal agents retreated on foot, followed by jeering protesters and honking vehicles.
Additional federal agents, armed with long guns and tactical gear, also arrived in a military tactical vehicle and made additional arrests.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said the agents were conducting an enforcement operation against sellers of “counterfeit goods”
“During this law enforcement operation, rioters who were shouting obscenities, became violent and obstructed law enforcement duties including blocking vehicles and assaulting law enforcement,” she said.
At least one person was arrested for assaulting an officer, McLaughlin said. She did not respond to a request about how many vendors were detained.
The sweep came days after a conservative influencer shared video on X showing a group of men selling bags on the street, urging the official ICE account to “check this corner out.”
While clashes between immigration authorities and protesters have played out in Los Angeles and other cities, such scenes have been rarer on New York City streets, which Mayor Eric Adams has attributed in part to his working relationship with President Donald Trump’s administration.
President Donald Trump has paid close attention to the city’s mayor’s race, which is in two weeks, threatening to send federal troops to the city if Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, wins.
In a statement, Mayor Eric Adams said the city had no involvement in the action and was still gathering details.
“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,” he said.
Murad Awawdeh, president of the New York Immigration Coalition, accused the Trump administration of trying to get create a “violent spectacle” on the city’s streets.
“This operation had nothing to do with public safety and everything to do with terrorizing immigrant families and communities,” he said.