A federal raid in New York City’s Chinatown neighborhood on Tuesday resulted in the arrests of nine migrants from West Africa who were in the United States illegally, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told Fox News.
Four protesters were also taken into custody for allegedly blocking ICE officers and throwing objects at them.
Officials said the migrants are from Senegal, Mali and Guinea and were busted for allegedly selling counterfeit items in the area. mICE said the protesters who were detained have criminal backgrounds.
A protestor is arrested by federal agents as law enforcement conduct a raid on street vendors during rush hour on Oct. 21, 2025, in New York City.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News that ICE and federal partners conducted a “targeted, intelligence-driven enforcement operation” on Canal Street focused on criminal activity related to the sale of alleged 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,” McLaughlin wrote in a statement. “Already, one rioter has been arrested for assault on a federal officer.”
Federal agents conduct an immigration sweep on Canal Street in Chinatown as protesters gather on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Jake Offenhartz)
During a news conference Tuesday night, Murad Awawdeh, vice president of advocacy at the New York Immigration Coalition, said between 15 and 40 vendors were arrested and at least two locals were taken into custody for protesting and blocking their arrest efforts.
City officials quickly moved to distance themselves from the raid.
Federal agents conduct an immigration sweep on Canal Street in Chinatown on Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Jake Offenhartz)
Mayor Eric Adams’ press secretary, Kayla Mamelak Altus, told Fox News that New York City “never cooperates with federal law enforcement on civil deportation matters, in accordance with local laws” and had “no involvement in this matter.”
