Thank you for that, which all sounds right and just. However, the fact that they were arrested alone does not violate due process, does it? Of course, it remains to be seen whether the remaining due process steps are properly enacted, or bypassed. — Marcus on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

Once built, the Center Street jail will save tons of money in transportation and manpower, by reducing the vast transportation network of moving inmates to court every day. Borough based jails provide better access for inmates, almost all of whom are not convicted, but pending charges to legal counsel. (Anyone convicted of a felony goes to State prison.) Families will have much better access, since Rikers is vitually impossible to get to. (Most of these families can't afford to take Uber everywhere.) This provides positive experience which is proven to reduce violence in jail. The jail has been located on Center Street since shortly after the Civil War, far longer than the converted factory and warehouses which occupied all of Tribeca until the gentrification of the 1980's and 90's. — MB on What Cuomo has said about the White Street jail

Tribeca, wishing to be Manhattan's first gated community. Many of these people overstayed visas. Not a crime, a civil offense. The rest have pending asylum applications, Therefore documented and legal. And luckily, most are represented by counsel, who they actually PAY with their meager wages. Most are religious refugees from Africa, subject to horrible discrimination and violence back home. Trying to get money to bring family over. Chinatown, including Canal Street has been a market for "counterfeit goods" since before most of you were born. Why is the State enforcing trademarks for private corporations using our tax dollars? Sale of fake goods, the above listed "counterfeiting" should be a civil offense,, where the trademark holders sues the encroaching merchant. Or, maybe go after the wholesalers, not the poor immigrant sellers, who are serving a well-known market. — MB on Nine arrested after ICE raids counterfeit vendors

It’s why you need to remain vigilant. And they busted NBA dupes who are no different than the counterfeit venders on our streets to go up the chain. — Reademan on Nine arrested after ICE raids counterfeit vendors

Maybe not the best day to bring up breaking up the mafia since four families are implicated in the gambling bust that was announced this morning. — malcolm on Nine arrested after ICE raids counterfeit vendors

The Government finally broke the mafia by aggressively arresting the low level members and getting them to turn on the people above them. Arresting these people is a necessary first step in taking apart these international crime syndicates. And I don’t feel the least bit sorry for these people who came into the country illegally and immediately and brazenly commit crime on our streets (and they were probably trafficked here for exactly this purpose). They are getting exactly what they deserve. — Reademan on Nine arrested after ICE raids counterfeit vendors

As a 15+ year resident on Broadway and Franklin who rides the Q or 6 regularly I have nothing nice to say about the sidewalk counterfeit operations. I would like nothing more than to walk easily down Broadway but not via this aggressive and vulgar display of ICE militarism. Arresting 9 men, most of whom per the DHS bios (thanks Pam for sharing) were not violent offenders or drug dealers but sellers of counterfeit goods, via a military-style operation is a complete waste of taxpayer money. The entire laminated card business is a complex business web that needs to be stopped at its source - removing 9 independent sellers does nothing to halt the larger counterfeit operation. Just spend a few minutes walking up Corltandt Alley on a weekend day and you will see "runners" shuttling back and forth from Vans parked on the sidewalk full or merchandise delivering goods to women clutching their laminated menus and negotiating prices with soon-to-be buyers. Yes, it's calm now - and some might shy away for a few days, maybe even a few weeks. DHS wanted to show force in NYC and this was the invented rationale for their masked-faced bullying. If the Federal government really wanted to solve the problem they would work at dismantling the deeper network of operatives that have kept the machine alive on Canal street since I was a young boy. What is DHS going to do next, arrest the Elmos posing for photos in Times Square? Truth is tourists love buying this junk - it is as much of a destination as Century 21 used to be. As a result, I don't think the city wants to do much about it - it draws tourists and their money to the city. That said - there must be a way to just keep moving folks off of the sidewalks - its impossible to walk down the street some days. For those of you who criticized the writing/publishing of this article, I have read it through multiple times and do not see anything that resembles "praising." Quoting DHS's propaganda is an important element of reporting on these activities. There is no opinion offered in support of DHS's statements - if anything the lede contrasts 70 armed military against the arrest of 9. Not great results - certainly not praise. This is an important issue to the neighborhood and this was a profound intrusion of federal agents. The reporting was straight-forward and contained valuable information. Make of it what you want (as I did). — TheBlackSquirrel on Nine arrested after ICE raids counterfeit vendors

Not sure what point you’re trying to make. It was a great visual. I’m not looking for people to get hurt. — malcolm on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

You mean Tank Lady? The one who ran off when armed HS police exited the armored vehicle and flanked it? https://youtu.be/A-dfGo_jW8w?si=Tdm74-TvmpUSCsgk&t=65 — James Bogardus on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

And thank you to Kay for taking the time to thoughtfully lay out what is at stake here while others jeer from the sidelines... — amanda on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

I agree with you, Peter. — F. on Nine arrested after ICE raids counterfeit vendors

Absolutely agree with Alexandra Neil! — amanda on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

The show of force the other day will likely discourage some potential customers, for now. — James Bogardus on Nine arrested after ICE raids counterfeit vendors

You are so right, Malcom. — F on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

Thank you. — F on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

Thank you! — F on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

Another thing I feel has not been mentioned. The administration does not really care about counterfeit goods. I think we can all agree on that as adults. With this raid, what they're trying to do is incite. We're lucky that nothing happened with the protest, but I think what's really happening is they want something violent to occur. They are looking for a reason to send troops into our city. So disregarding how you feel about the counterfeiters, how are you going to feel when there's an occupation army roaming our streets, chasing down deliveristas, hassling random brown people, etc.? What kind of quality of life do you think that is? Lastly: I just want to shout out the woman at the protest yesterday dressed in business attire while she threw double birds up at ICE. Ma'am, you're my hero. — malcolm on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

It seems that many of you do not know what due process means, so just to clarify: If you are an immigrant who has been detained by ICE and are facing deportation, you are entitled to a notice of the charges against you. The government must provide you with a charging document, often called a “notice to appear,” outlining the reasons for potential deportation. You have the right to present evidence before an immigration judge to show why you should not be deported. You might be seeking asylum, for example, or have a student visa or green card. You are entitled to a judgment based on the facts of the case and applicable law — and you have the right to appeal the decision to a higher court. You cannot simply be ripped off the streets and deported without a chance to defend yourself. That would be a clear violation of due process. Our country was founded on the idea that the government cannot arbitrarily take away your rights and liberties — and that everyone has a right to defend themselves. And that really means everyone. The word “person” in the 5th Amendment makes no distinction between citizens and noncitizens. The 14th Amendment makes this applicable to the states as well. And the Supreme Court has reaffirmed this multiple times — conservative and liberal justices have agreed. Due process is a fundamental constitutional protection to ensure that all of us can maintain our life, liberty, and our property — regardless of who we are or where we come from. This is a right that goes to the very roots of our democracy. — Alexandra Neil on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

Arrest the tourists who buy these counterfeits. Have them spend a night in The Tombs and then send them on their way. Word will spread and there goes the market for these goods. — P on Nine arrested after ICE raids counterfeit vendors

Thank you to F. (An actual born and raised New Yorker) and the few others here who understand the vital importance of due process in holding together our fragile democracy. My comment, below, is also for the folks who assume that the people who are ‘complaining’ about the raids don’t live here. My partner and I bought a newly renovated loft on Lispenard, the street where the recent raid took place, a few years before the iconic Pearl Paint closed. (I had already been living in Soho/West Village for over 30 years before that purchase.) So, for years, I walked past the crew who camped out on that corner in front of the defunct bank a few times daily. They weren’t the most friendly bunch, (but then again, neither are many of the hundreds of construction workers I’ve passed over the the past few decades in this city who still can’t resist catcalling women and calling us wh*res or worse when we ignore them) but being friendly clearly isn't a legal requirement in this city, so as New Yorkers, we deal with it. And yes, sometimes, they took up more of the sidewalk than they should, which is legit annoying. But there’s a massive difference between feeling/getting annoyed about the various things that irritate us in this city and wanting these issues to be dealt with in a way that respects human and civil rights vs. endorsing mass ICE raids in a city which was literally built on the backs of immigrants. If people are detained humanely and fairly prosecuted with due process, that's one thing. But this aggressive show of force is a tactic by this administration meant to intimidate New Yorkers, and supporting raids like this is evidence that people are determined to ignore history. WWII anyone? Who paid attention in History class re: the rise of H*tler? It's all fine and good until they come FOR YOU, right? What bothers me most is how people are entirely comfortable with the trampling / ignoring / complete disregard of people’s rights to due process—as long as it serves their own needs. (A point that F made in the comments here, quite clearly.) Due process means you don’t target people based on their ethnicity or the color of their skin. You don’t grab them off the streets and deport them to detention centers where the conditions are inhumane, and send them to countries they’ve never stepped foot in. About 70% of those detained and disappeared DO NOT have criminal records—and of those with criminal records, many have only committed minor offenses like traffic violations. You don’t do this nor endorse it simply because you find black/brown/asian vendors distasteful. There’s A LOT that’s distasteful in this city, but if we want to preserve a properly functioning democracy, we don’t allow ICE raids and ‘homeland security’ to pepper spray, attack, tase, beat (or worse) citizens and immigrants. It’s amazing to me the level of pain and lack of humanity Americans can witness and turn a blind eye because they THINK it serves them. Check out these quotes from recent news reports about the raid..is this what you’re all so happy about? “As agents tried to detain individuals, crowds of New Yorkers gathered, shouting and pushing in an attempt to intervene. Some bystanders were heard cursing at officers, one officer was seen pointing his taser at the angry crowd, and several arrests were made. Some vendors said they were asked to show passports or proof of legal status, but it's unclear where the detained individuals were taken away”.—The independent “As agents tried to detain individuals, crowds of New Yorkers gathered, shouting and pushing in an attempt to intervene. Some bystanders were heard cursing at officers, one officer was seen pointing his taser at the angry crowd, and several arrests were made”.— ABC 7 “As the dust settled on Oct. 22, Nwa Ngam, who sells sweatshirts on Lafayette Street, recalled watching helplessly on Tuesday as a friend of over a decade and a half was whisked away in handcuffs without explanation — even though he had an official NYC vendor ID around his neck. I know him. That’s his vendor’s license. You see his license? So, he wasn’t an illegal vendor, like they said,” Ngam said when amNewYork showed her a photograph of her friend being detained. ”I know him to be a hard-working man who has been in Chinatown for the last 16, 17 years. He sells cellphone cases, comes to work, and goes home every day. A lot of people are scared. If I was illegal, I would be scared too, because I left my kids at home, at school to come here. What if I went into custody? What if they took me? What would happen to my kids?” she said. “Everybody needs to stand up. You cannot just be safe and other people be unsafe. We all have to do our part.” — AM NY And while HS released information about those taken yesterday, which was shared in a following post by this blog today, I can’t imagine how anyone trusts a word that comes out of the DOJ. The 10/25 60 Minutes interview with Erez Reuveni, a former attorney with the DOJ, admitted that Abrego Garcia (whom 47 falsely declared was a violent gang member) was wrongly deported and that Reuvini’s superior ordered him to write a false legal brief asserting that Garcia was a member of MS-13 which was absolutely “not factually correct. It was not legally correct. That is, that is a lie.” — Erez Reuveni It’d distressing how thrilled folks here are about the raid—asserting that justice was done. PLEASE. You’re all so fixated on a group of Black, Brown, and Asian vendors. All around us, criminal activity is occurring in the White House, Epstein papers still not released, our self-dealing president raking in dough as he rips our Constitution’s Emolument’s clause to shreds, using the power of his office to attack his critics like the wannabe king that he is. It’s shameful how Tribeca has transformed from a neighborhood where some of our greatest artists and journalists once lived into a community of banker bros and 47-loving sycophants, while our educational institutions and news orgs are being blackmailed, and access to healthcare and civil rights are being stripped away. One can only hope that the concept of karma is real. — Kay on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

Who's buying these counterfeit goods? No buyers, no sellers. — Manhattanmommie on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

I dont wish harm on anyone but the Brooklyn Bridge is so much better for walking since the NYPD began kicking out many of the vendors who illegally set up shop along the narrow walkway. The same would be true if Canal/Broadway/Lispenard were cleared of illegal vendors. It just so happens that I suspect many of the vendors are at risk of ICE as well. Its shocking the city lets this go on. — mydoglivesintribeca on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

Agreeing with Marcus. Another band aid and a perverse show of masked violence — amanda on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

Even beyond the counterfeiting question, which as you say requires proof, the police should be able to clear the sellers out permanently from unauthorized areas, of if they lack vending permits, or are otherwise violating vending (or other) laws. — Marcus on Nine arrested after ICE raids counterfeit vendors

And if you believe that... — amanda on Nine arrested after ICE raids counterfeit vendors