Federal agents just swept through New York City’s Chinatown like a long-overdue broom, nabbing nine unauthorized migrants in a crackdown that’s got everyone talking.
On Tuesday, October 21, 2025, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted a targeted operation on Canal Street between Lafayette and Centre Streets, arresting nine individuals for deportation while sparking protests and exposing a messy web of criminal activity tied to counterfeit goods, as New York Post reports.
This wasn’t a random stroll through the market—ICE zeroed in on unlicensed sidewalk vendors peddling fake and stolen merchandise, a problem that’s been clogging up the area for over a year, according to reports from The Post.
Of the nine arrested, six have rap sheets that read like a crime novel, with charges ranging from robbery and drug trafficking to domestic violence and even assaults on law enforcement.
Take Muhammad Ndiaye from Senegal, who overstayed a tourist visa from 1995 and racked up convictions for robbery and forgery, or Modou Mboup, also Senegalese, with a record of assaulting Mexican authorities before being released into the U.S. under recent border policies.
Others, like Idy Sarr and Mamadou Ndoye, have dodged deportation orders for over a decade, while Bokar Soko from Mauritania and Aboubakar Diakite stand accused of counterfeiting—hardly the picture of model visitors.
As ICE moved in, the scene turned chaotic, with protests erupting and the NYPD stepping in to arrest two demonstrators for disorderly conduct.
One of them, Jennifer Hansen, a 34-year-old with a history of six prior arrests, including allegedly kicking an officer in June, was charged with obstructing government operations and blocking traffic—talk about making a bad situation worse.
The other, an unidentified 33-year-old, also got a citation, proving that some folks just can’t resist turning a law enforcement operation into their personal soapbox.
“They take over the sidewalk. People can’t pass,” grumbled an unnamed merchant on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, echoing the frustration of many legitimate business owners who’ve watched vendors choke access to their stores.
“We talk to them. They want to fight,” the same merchant added, painting a picture of tension that’s been simmering on Canal Street for far too long.
“ICE conducted a targeted, intelligence-driven enforcement operation on Canal Street in New York City, focused on criminal activity relating to selling counterfeit goods,” stated Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, on Wednesday, October 22, 2025. And let’s be honest, when criminal activity is this blatant, a focused response is exactly what taxpayers expect.
The day after, Canal Street near Lafayette was eerily empty, a stark contrast to the usual hustle, with abandoned items like a lone suitcase littering the corner of Centre Street—a haunting reminder of the raid’s impact.
While some might cry foul over enforcement actions, the reality is that many of these individuals, released into the country under questionable border policies, have shown a disregard for the law that puts communities at risk. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but public safety isn’t a game of feelings—it’s a matter of facts, and the rap sheets here speak volumes.
