Protests erupt in New York City after Ice raids Chinatown over ‘counterfeit goods’ | New York

Hundreds of people participated in protests that erupted in New York City on Tuesday evening after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids linked to the “sale of counterfeit goods” were carried out in the Chinatown neighborhood earlier in the day and resulted in the arrests of an unknown number of people.

Hours after federal agents descended on Lower Manhattan, protesters were seen gathering near the immigration building at 26 Federal Plaza, where they believed the detainees had been taken. Many shouted slogans such as “Ice out of New York” and “No Ice, no KKK, no fascist USA.”

Videos of the raid show several masked and armed federal agents tying up and arresting a man and pushing away bystanders. Crowds of New Yorkers followed the officers through the streets and sidewalks. An armored military vehicle was also seen driving through the city’s streets.

“Is it worth the pay? Selling your soul?” A woman can be heard yelling at the officers.

The raid, which onlookers said involved more than 50 federal agents, took place in a well-known Manhattan neighborhood where counterfeit handbags, accessories, jewelry and other products are sold en masse daily — often to tourists.

It’s unclear how many people were arrested in the raid, but one witness told the New York Daily News he saw at least seven people arrested.

The Department of Homeland Security told the New York Times that the operation was “focused on criminal activity related to the sale of counterfeit products.” Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokeswoman, said the operation was led by the ICE agency, the FBI, the U.S. Border Patrol and others.

The Guardian has contacted the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for comment.

Murad Awawdeh, vice president of advocacy at the New York Immigration Coalition, condemned the raid to reporters Tuesday evening and said between 15 and 40 sellers were arrested. Awawdeh also noted that at least two residents were arrested for protesting and blocking Ice’s efforts.

“We don’t see these scenes in democracy. We see them in fascist regimes,” Awawdeh told the crowd. “We must continue to stand up and fight back. »

Christopher Marte, a local city council member, told the City he too was alarmed by the officers’ conduct.

“The amount of guns they had on the street were pointed at people walking by, something I’ve never seen in my life,” he said.

The NYPD distanced itself from the raids, tweeting that it had “no involvement in the federal operation that took place on Canal Street this afternoon.” However, onlookers noted that NYPD riot police appeared to have arrested several people protesting the Ice raid.

Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, tweeted the NYPD missive and emphasized: “New York City does not cooperate with federal law enforcement on civil evictions, consistent with our local laws. »

“While we gather details about the situation, New Yorkers should know that we have no involvement. Our administration has made clear that undocumented New Yorkers trying to pursue their American dreams should not be targeted by law enforcement, and that resources should instead be focused on violent criminals,” he wrote.

New York City mayoral candidates Zohran Mamdani and Andrew Cuomo shared similar criticisms, with Mamdani calling the raid “aggressive and reckless” and Cuomo calling it “more fear than justice, more politics than security.”

The two men – as well as Kathy Hochul, governor of New York – took direct aim at Donald Trump.

“[Donald Trump] claims it targets “the worst of the worst.” Today, his officers used batons and pepper spray on street vendors and passersby on Canal Street. You don’t make New York safer by attacking New Yorkers,” Hochul wrote.

“Once again, the Trump administration is choosing authoritarian theatrics that create fear, not safety. This must stop,” Mamdani wrote.

“Today’s ICE raid in Chinatown was an abuse of federal power by the Trump Administration,” Cuomo wrote.

New York City Council member Shahana Hanif also condemned the ice raids during a press conference, saying city and state politicians were staunchly opposed to ice raids.

“We are against Ice’s blatantly violent tactics. The arrival of hordes of Ice’s agents is unacceptable, immoral and unjust,” Hanif said.

Ice raids with masked agents have become commonplace in immigrant enclaves across the country, as have protests against them. Protests against Ice have led to federal crackdowns in cities including Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland.

Tuesday’s raid in Chinatown is not the first in the New York area in recent weeks. An October 16 raid in midtown Manhattan was the first known raid on a migrant shelter in the current Trump administration.

Notably, many ice raids have been accompanied by documented violence. Ice used extreme force in Chicago, including pepper-basting a priest, punching the inside of a reporter’s car and punching a U.S. congressional candidate.

In New York, an Ice agent was “removed from duty” after punching a woman to the ground in immigration court, but he reportedly returned to work shortly afterward.

Immigrants without criminal records now make up the largest group in Ice detention, and the agency has arrested at least 170 U.S. citizens in 2025.