Footage on X shows scores of New Yorkers protesting ICE agents believed to be planning a large-scale raid on Canal Street
12:18 ET, 29 Nov 2025Updated 12:28 ET, 29 Nov 2025
Anti-ICE protesters gathered on Canal Street to oppose immigration raids(Image: X/Talia Jane)
Anti-ICE protesters chanted, ‘ICE out of New York’ at immigration agents as they assembled ahead of a raid on one of Lower Manhattan’s iconic streets.
New Yorkers gathered outside of a parking garage to block the exit of ICE agents onto Canal Street, according to social media footage. One protester, Talia Jane, shared the footage online with the caption, “New Yorkers BLOCK ICE from leaving their parking garage ahead of a flopped mass raid attempt on Canal Street.”
Law enforcement raids aimed at combating counterfeiting are relatively frequent on Canal Street, which is known for its stalls and shops where some vendors hawk knock-off designer goods and bootlegged wares.
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Last week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided street vendors, arresting a West African man for allegedly selling counterfeit goods. The encounter occurred only 15 minutes after the NYPD conducted its own vendor enforcement raid.
NYPD officers say they appeared on the scene at around 10 a.m, looking to confiscate some of the goods the street vendors were selling. The officers were reportedly still on the scene when ICE arrived, although they had no prior knowledge that a raid would be conducted.
The ICE raid resulted in the arrest of a West African man, a street vendor on Canal St (Image: X)
The ICE raid resulted in the arrest of a West African man, a street vendor on Canal St. According to a statement from Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin, upon encountering the agents, the man ran several blocks before tripping, falling and resisting arrest.
“On Nov. 22, ICE conducted a targeted operation in lower Manhattan to arrest Abdou Tall, an illegal alien from Senegal and a criminal with multiple arrests relating to trafficking counterfeit merchandise,” the statement read.
A woman stands in front of an armored vehicle operated by federal agents on Lafayette Street as demonstrators follow along after an immigration sweep on Canal Street through Chinatown on Oct. 21
According to McLaughlin, Tall was arrested last month for trademark counterfeiting. She accused the NYPD of failing to turn Tall over to their agency. According to the NY Daily News, New York City generally does not honor ICE detainers unless the individual has been convicted of a violent or serious crime or is on a terrorist watch list.
“This entire incident could have been prevented had the NYPD simply honored our ICE detainer after they arrested Tall on Oct. 7 for felony trademark counterfeiting,” McLaughlin said. “But instead of turning him over to ICE custody, they released this criminal illegal alien back into the community, where he immediately resumed his criminal activity, leading to a second NYPD arrest for felony counterfeiting on Oct. 11. This time, he was released by NYPD before ICE could even lodge a detainer.”
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Why are ICE agents targeting Canal Street in New York City?
Federal immigration agents have recently intensified operations on New York’s Canal Street, with ICE describing the actions as targeted crackdowns on what it calls organized networks selling counterfeit goods and, in some cases, individuals with prior arrests for offenses such as robbery, assault, and drug trafficking.
Officials say the area’s concentration of unlicensed street vendors makes it a strategic hotspot for counterfeit-goods enforcement, and note that some suspects had previously been released by local authorities despite felony-level counterfeiting charges.
The raids, however, have drawn strong backlash from community groups and local leaders, who argue the operations amount to federal overreach, generate fear in immigrant neighborhoods, and unfairly target workers simply trying to make a living.
Protesters in Chinatown and Lower Manhattan have accused ICE of using unnecessarily aggressive tactics, while city officials acknowledge they have limited ability to intervene once federal enforcement begins.
The heightened presence on Canal Street signals a broader federal push to more visibly target undocumented individuals tied to illicit commerce, even as critics warn the approach is destabilizing immigrant communities.