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

The problem begins at the top. See the statements from our officials. None of them even acknowledged that the organized crime counterfeit bazaars are a problem. They only focused on the nature of the arrests. "This is not immigration enforcement. This is lawless terror designed to incite violence to create a pretext for Donald Trump to send the military into New York City," Rep. Dan Goldman said Wednesday. In a post on X on Tuesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul said, "[President Trump] claims he's targeting the 'worst of the worst.' Today his agents used batons and pepper spray on street vendors and bystanders on Canal Street. You don't make New York safer by attacking New Yorkers." "There is no excuse for sending military-style vehicles and a national law enforcement response for street vendors," City Comptroller Brad Lander said. ""New York City does not cooperate with federal law enforcement on civil deportations, in accordance with our local laws...Our administration has been clear that undocumented New Yorkers trying to pursue their American Dreams should not be the target of law enforcement." - Mayor Adams (https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/canal-street-ice-raid-lower-manhattan-nyc-dhs/) New York Attorney General Letitia James: "Every New Yorker has the right to live without fear or intimidation". Even criminals? That sounds like an open invitation: If you enter the USA illegally, just come to NYC, and you can be above the law forever. You can pursue the American Dream by being part of an international organized crime operation. None of these politicians even bother to propose a better solution to the problem. You can disagree with the methods, but at least acknowledge the problem, and come up with a real solution. — Marcus on Nine arrested after ICE raids counterfeit vendors

So happy to hear that Madeline has been successful in her battle with NYS bureaucracy. It is absurd that this happened at all with a well established small business. Best wishes to the bakery and Madeline going forward. — kathy C on Duane Park Patisserie caught in bureaucratic snafu

Exactly. A one-time raid has no lasting effect. There has to be repeated, regular, consistent enforcement, not just on Canal Street, but citywide. — Marcus on Nine arrested after ICE raids counterfeit vendors

Exactly. NY Police do nothing. They say they have no power. They say there is no point in citing them, as the sellers won't show up for a hearing, and won't pay the fines. They say there is no point in arresting them, as nothing will come of it, and the sellers will be right back out on the street. What kind of city is this where the police have no power to enforce the law? Where the mayor and other politicians feel no responsibility to uphold law and order? If the city lacks the will to uphold the law (even its own laws!), then seems not only fair, but necessary, for federal enforcement to step in. (The methods of enforcement are another matter, but enforcement is justified). — Marcus on Nine arrested after ICE raids counterfeit vendors

NYPD does nothing. I've spoken with them on several occasions and they always claimed they have no real power of enforcement, and that change will only come if the "people at the top" change. Since Mamdami is likely to be our next mayor, and we can expect he will take an even softer (if it can be imagined) approach to illegal vendor enforcement, the problem will only get worse. If the sidewalks get widened, as proposed, that will not make the situation better for residents and pedestrians; it will just invite even more vendors to spread out more of their junk. More public urination, more littering, more aggressive solicitations, more blockage of sidewalks, subway entrances, building entrances. So clearly stronger, regular enforcement is needed, including daily seizures of the counterfeit junk, and tracing the unk back to the sources, and shutting those down. — Marcus on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

As a note; the ladies with the laminated sheets showing purses were still out there yesterday. I bet within the a week it's back to normal on Canal Street. — Randy on Nine arrested after ICE raids counterfeit vendors

Arresting criminals is "propaganda"? I'm glad weak people no longer have sway over law enforcement (at least for the moment) — Jr on Nine arrested after ICE raids counterfeit vendors

Why is there the assumption that there will be no due process? There was reasonable cause for arrest, since the sellers were repeatedly breaking the law, and fines alone were not working as deterrent. Won't the arrested by processed through the courts, according to current governing law? Isn't that what we mean by due process? — Marcus on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

Well said. The brutality of the methods is overkill, but the need for enforcement is there and justified. Parts of the city - including the Canal Street area - otherwise descend into chaotic lawless zones (let's not even get started on the other lawless problem around Canal Street - the driving!). — Marcus on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

Exactly. And citywide. — Marcus on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

Does not seem to be an either/or problem; enforcement should go after both the local sellers, and the import and distribution networks. Ideally, it should go after the source, the manufacturers, but presumably they are overseas and out of reach of our law enforcement. Although the USA could put pressure on the countries hosting these manufacturers to shut them down. — Marcus on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

Agreed that it seems like over-kill with all the armaments and a tank. What would constitute transparency? However, arrests of the counterfeit vendors seem justified, since merely fining them over years has had no effect. The rare occasions when NYC police arrests a couple of them, that also seems to have no effect. — Marcus on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

As we have learned, it is very difficult for the NYPD to make arrests without proof that the goods are counterfeit. ICE could detain them because they are not documented. — Tribeca Citizen on Nine arrested after ICE raids counterfeit vendors

Political stances aside, yesterday was the first time in months I was able to walk down Canal Street holding hands with my kid, side by side, without having to avoid the bag sellers that made me feel like I was trespassing on their private property. — LP on Nine arrested after ICE raids counterfeit vendors

I don't want to post links here, but if you want to know the kind of campaign Cuomo is really running, and who is behind him, please google 'Cuomo racist AI video' and prepare to be shocked. Well, I hope you'd be shocked. — malcolm on What Cuomo has said about the White Street jail

"city Council laws forced NYPD to look away" because The City Council did not want the illegal alien vendors to get charged criminally and then be flagged and deported as a result. From the City Council's own website: "There are severe collateral consequences of a criminal record on people’s [...] immigration status. [...] " 'Today was a decisive victory for immigrants in NYC,' said Council Member Shekar Krishnan. 'As a Council, we voted to override the Mayor’s veto of my bill, Intro 47-B, which protects vendors from jail time and possible immigration consequences. The City Council will protect immigrants from intimidation and fear, from the horrifying conditions of 26 Federal Plaza, and from Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda. As Trump beefs up ICE and deploys the National Guard to our cities, we will stand up for our communities. We will ensure that safeguards are in place so that even if this Mayor, who is beholden to the President, tries to undo them, we stand strong. I’m thankful for Speaker Adams’ leadership and to the City Council for proving to New Yorkers that we are the leaders they deserve at this moment.' " No truer words were spoken. That is who your City Council represents. Source: https://council.nyc.gov/press/2025/09/10/2973/ — James Bogardus on Nine arrested after ICE raids counterfeit vendors