I knew this would be the response of many people. You are willing to sacrifice due process and have people arrested and disappeared to foreign countries by nameless masked men to have a block of your real estate investment "cleaned up." When this regime is done, getting rid of all the people who are other than you, they will come for you or those you love - that's how authoritarians roll. — F on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

This was inevitable. The city has for many years failed to enforce the rule of law. The local powers that be have completely failed to deal effectively with this ever-growing problem. Police do nothing. Politicians do nothing. So eventually it reaches the critical point where something drastic happens. — Marcus on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

DOHMH has an ombudsman for food establishments. Perhaps Madeline can try there? https://www.nyc.gov/site/doh/business/food-operators/food-service-establishment-ombuds-office.page — ChibecaMom on Duane Park Patisserie caught in bureaucratic snafu

Lots of lot line windows will be closed up at 200 Chambers. — G on Deco building on Broadway and Chambers is for sale

International organized crime that uses the proceeds of the sale of counterfeit goods to fund human trafficking, drug smuggling, weapons trafficking, and terrorism deserves the strongest possible response. — Reademan on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

Long overdue. Finally! There is no right for any individuals to overtake the neighborhood with illegal activities, aggressive behavior and the disorder and filth they create. Maybe soon I can actually walk these blocks with my kids and not have to avoid them. Vote responsibly NY! — Hudson st on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

Unlicensed vendors have overrun the streets and destroyed the marketplace for licensed vendors who are playing by the rules. A honest vendor simply cannot compete with these sidewalk racketeers, many of whom should not even be in the country. Licensed NYC vendors are grateful to ICE and the FED's. — LiceToVend on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

If I'm not mistaken, that filigree at the parapet was featured on a 'Where in Tribeca' many years ago! — malcolm on Deco building on Broadway and Chambers is for sale

Wholeheartedly agree with hoping that the future developer will preserve the Art Deco base. If there ever were an architectural style that defines this city, it’s Art Deco! Glad to see at least some developers leaning into a neo-Deco motif. — Reader on Reade on Deco building on Broadway and Chambers is for sale

As always, a voice of reason here, Heide! — malcolm on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

Good stuff - thank you ICE and thank you POTUS. Instead of curbing this ongoing illegal activity, the city wants to spend tens of millions of dollars to expand the sidewalks at this intersection. Ridiculous. — RB on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

Finally. It's ridiculous that this has gone on as long as it has. It's impossible to walk on the sidewalks when they're all set up and god knows what else they could be funding by selling counterfeit or stolen goods in the first place. These are not "fellow members of our community". — MJ on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

I mean... finally? why are these activities allowed in the first place... they immigration status is not the point.. if at least ICE does something to deal with it, bravo — Richard on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

well said. could not agree more. these people aren't community members, they are detrimental to the community. it's about time something was done about this, as has been written about in other posts on this forum. Thank goodness for ICE, thankful that someone will clean up this mess. If you are a TRIBECA CITIZEN, this is good news. No one wants these "vendors" around, the businesses especially. Bravo, ICE. — g on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

its about time someone did something about this. NYPD looks the other way, if the 1st and 5th were allowed to do their job this action would be unnecessary. Chris Marte calls the illegal, unlicensed counterfeiters who also deal drugs community members. Really? no more round tables to discuss, the problem is obvious and so is the solution. Crackdown on this, I don't care who does it. This has metastasized way beyond just Canal street, just walk down Broadway south of Canal, its right in front of storefronts including galleries that are trying to make a real living and actually pay taxes. anyone else tired of the gaslighting on this? — S on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

And of course the story does not end there. Where are those people being sent? IF they are indeed illegal or have criminal records, there is a more humane way to handle it. For one thing, ICE agents with no IDs and wearing masks of shame are not the way to go about this. — Heide Fasnacht on ICE agents raid street vendors on Canal and Lafayette

Yes - and now ICE and DHS need to sustain the enforcement. If the Canal Street Redesign plan is going to extend the sidewalks (ie. - create more room for these illegal vendors), residents and stakeholders MUST keep this issue front and center with all levels of legislators and law enforcement. Keep the petition effort going, keep reporting to 311, keep submitting complaints on the ICE.gov tip line and keep posting to social media. Today shows that it works. — SoHo on Seen & Heard: A meeting to discuss illegal street vendors on Canal

ICE did more in 10 minutes than NYPD in 10 years. https://nypost.com/2025/10/21/us-news/ice-agents-make-busts-on-canal-street-in-nycs-chinatown-in-effort-to-crackdown-on-illegal-vendors/ — James Bogardus on Seen & Heard: A meeting to discuss illegal street vendors on Canal

And Mamdani is just proposing to abolish all jails, right? — Tribeca Dad on What Cuomo has said about the White Street jail

There are also apparently cost savings associated with operations (the Times reported estimates of $2B/year). Apparently it's incredibly costly to house inmates at Rikers, nearly $500k per person per year. — malcolm on What Cuomo has said about the White Street jail

The Real Deal article cited is from 2017. The hotel has since been acquired out of bankruptcy by Silver Creek Development: https://therealdeal.com/new-york/2025/09/10/silver-creek-acquires-wagner-hotel-after-messy-bankruptcy/ — Matt on In the News: Wagner Hotel has been sold

I'd have to find the piece I read that detailed this, but from my recollection: an independent commission found that it would cost more because of the logistics of an isolated site with one bridge, coupled with the fact that there would need to be environmental remediation, and it's more expensive to construct while Rikers remains an active jail site (work hours, piecemeal work, etc.). I would also imagine developing new plans (the borough-based ones are all approved and I think mostly permitted?) would add another cost, and significant delay. And we're all seeing how construction prices continue to increase rapidly in a time of tariffs and inflation. — malcolm on What Cuomo has said about the White Street jail

Maybe speak to Marte? — B on Duane Park Patisserie caught in bureaucratic snafu

Interesting; why would the cost of re-building on Rikers be higher? I would expect all construction in the city to be more expensive. — Marcus on What Cuomo has said about the White Street jail

I don't like this at all. We know our government agencies are disorganized, inefficient, and ineffective, and this is a key example of that. Also, what a horrible time to try to pull this on a small business!! The holiday season is probably one of the most important for a place like this (I know I send family and friends ring dings, across the country).. — B.Thompson on Duane Park Patisserie caught in bureaucratic snafu