Impact of ICE raids on vendors in Chinatown felt across Bronx communities
As ICE agents raided the streets in Chinatown, they were met with hundreds of angry bystanders and protestors who tried to block them from completing their mission and kick them out of New York City.
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The ICE raids that took place in Manhattan on Tuesday evening have been felt in The Bronx.
ICE carried out a sweep on Canal Street, targeting vendors in Chinatown. The area is known to be a hub with vendors selling counterfeit goods for decades. That is who the Department of Homeland Security says they were targeting.
Local elected officials and community leaders took to social media like Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson and Governor Kathy Hochul.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement the city had no involvement in this sweep. Emphasizing that his administration has said those recourses should be used against violent criminals, not those chasing the American dream.
The DHS say it arrested nine people with previous criminal charges.
Some of the charges include assault on law enforcement, domestic violence and drug trafficking.
Multiple people have been issued a final order of removal from the U.S. from as far back as 2008.
Daniel Kurzyna, the spokesperson for Republican NYC mayor candidate Curtis Sliwa campaign, issued a statement saying:
Curtis believes public safety must come first, and that deporting gang members, sex traffickers, and those involved in major crimes should be a top federal priority. He has also been clear that restaurants and other service industries should not be the focus of immigration enforcement, and that resources should target dangerous offenders, not working people.” - Daniel Kurzyna, the spokesperson for Republican mayor candidate Curtis Sliwa campaign.
Press Secretary Kayla Mamelak Altus of NYC Mayor Eric Adams' office released a statement:
We have learned about the federal law enforcement action on Canal Street in Manhattan this afternoon and are gathering more details. We never cooperate with federal law enforcement on civil deportation matters, in accordance with local laws, and have no involvement in this matter. Mayor Adams has been clear that undocumented New Yorkers trying to pursue the American Dream should not be the target of law enforcement, and resources should instead be focused on violent criminals.
