Would be unfortunate to have both Yves and Smith & Mills replaced by a single family home and completely lose the street activation that comes with those two spots. That's one of the liveliest corners in the neighborhood. — person on The Smith & Mills and Yves building has sold

Hallelujah, clarity without discrimination — amanda on Nine arrested after ICE raids counterfeit vendors

I will! This afternoon. — Tribeca Citizen on Nine arrested after ICE raids counterfeit vendors

Malcolm - agreed. Additionally, How will we all feel when ICE agents are patrolling polling sites? — Heide Fasnacht on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

Thank you Black Squirrel for an informed and balanced chronicling of the situation. I hate the mess on Canal and environs. I hate that mornings Church near the P.O. and Hotel smells like a urinal. I hate that I have to veer out onto the street because the intersections are so full. However, Gestapo tactics are overkill. People committing civil offenses can be arrested without chaos and harm to innocent bystanders. City Council is the right place to voice our grievances. Once you let the Feds in, given the authoritarian drive and racism of the current administration, that will spread to other people and places: students, journalists, anyone who doesn't fall in line. This is happening. "Cleansing" is right out of the authoritarian playbook. — Heide Fasnacht on Nine arrested after ICE raids counterfeit vendors

For those who attended the roundtable today about the vendors, please share what happened there, if you have time. — Marcus on Nine arrested after ICE raids counterfeit vendors

If the illegal activities start up again on Canal Street, ICE, DHS, HSI and FBI will be back to enforce our federal laws. At the SoHo Broadway Initiative Roundtable discussion today, the NYPD representative noted (without any sense of irony) how quiet Canal Street is now after the events of Tuesday. — SoHo on Nine arrested after ICE raids counterfeit vendors

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