Illegal immigrant vendors have returned to Canal Street in New York City just one month after ICE carried out a raid in the area.
Despite ICE arresting nine illegal immigrants with violent rap sheets that included robbery, burglary, domestic violence, and other crimes, migrants continue to crowd the sidewalks, openly selling counterfeit products even with NYPD officers nearby. The NYPD has declined to intervene, leaving vendors confident they can continue their sales.
On Saturday, ICE arrested an illegal immigrant allegedly selling counterfeit items on Canal Street in Chinatown. The man, Abdou Tall, is from Senegal and has been arrested multiple times, according to an ICE spokesperson.
“Tall fled from law enforcement on foot for several blocks before he tripped and fell and then continued to actively resist arrest,” the spokesperson said, according to the New York Post. “Our officers followed their training and successfully arrested him.”
The situation comes amid continued public tension between the Trump administration and New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. Border czar Tom Homan has said ICE will increase its raids across the city because of its sanctuary city policies, while Mamdani has insisted he intends to make New York City the “strongest sanctuary city in the country.” One of his campaign promises was to “get ICE out of all city facilities and end any cooperation.”
Additionally, protest groups across New York City have been coaching illegal immigrants to hide from federal immigration authorities, distributing flyers with training information and whistles to alert others of nearby immigration officers.
