Gothamist: More than two dozen federal law enforcement officials descended on Canal Street in Chinatown on Tuesday afternoon, detaining at least four people as part of an apparent raid that later escalated into street clashes with bystanders.
Two Gothamist reporters witnessed the activity, including agents restraining several individuals and questioning one man who was later released after showing identification.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment and officials have not said what prompted the enforcement. But the action came two days after Savanah Hernandez, a contributor to the far-right group Turning Point USA, posted a video on X alleging a “huge group of African illegal immigrants” were operating a black market at the corner, writing on X “Perhaps @ICEgov should go check this corner out.”
By late afternoon, the operation expanded east toward Walker and Lafayette streets, where additional arrests were made. A crowd of bystanders began chanting and banging on unmarked vans as agents loaded detainees inside. Federal agents were seen using batons and threatening to use pepper spray as they attempted to control the crowd. One officer appeared to pull a woman by the hair while dispersing people from the street.
“I just seen them swarm,” delivery driver Reese Galleria said of the federal agents. “It’s chaotic.” A street vendor selling bags ran up and down the street yelling “ICE is here,” pointing to unmarked cars, reporters observed. Meanwhile, dozens of bystanders flanked the federal agents, yelling expletives, including repeated chants of “f— ICE!” Others held out cellphones and recorded the encounters as federal agents continued to handcuff and detain men. City Hall officials did not immediately return a request for comment.
The enforcement action comes just days after federal agents arrested two men outside the Row Hotel in Midtown, a city-run migrant shelter. Officials said the men were allegedly tied to a Venezuelan gang and emphasized a broader effort to “restore law and order” in New York City. That operation also appeared to have been conducted without city involvement. Traffic was partially blocked on Canal Street as federal agents continued to operate in the area into the early evening. A large green Homeland Security vehicle was also seen near the scene, flanked by officers in riot gear.
