New York City’s Chinatown is one of the busiest neighborhoods in the city. It’s a hub for immigrants, street vendors and tourists alike — including MAGA supporters from across the country who visit the city and hit up the neighborhood to buy clothes and food from Asian immigrants.
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Thanks to one of the latest raids from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)…all of that is likely to change.
On Tuesday (Oct. 21), ICE agents flooded Canal St., the most popular street in Chinatown, in search of undocumented immigrants. “The vendors, they’re gone,” photographer Harlan Erskine, who works in the neighborhood after the raids, told NBC News. “It feels like an odd holiday.”
The street, usually known for its hustle and bustle and for being a sanctuary of sorts for undocumented immigrants, was quiet following the raids. Four U.S. citizens were wrongfully arrested and detained for “nearly 24 hours” without any charges during the raid, N.Y. Rep. Dan Goldman said.
But despite the law strictly prohibiting immigration enforcement from arresting citizens, Trump and his allies promised no end in sight for these kinds of raids, according to the New York Times.
Unsurprisingly, Folks in the president’s camp blamed former President Joe Biden and other Democrats for the chaos. “The majority of those arrested were released into the country by the Biden administration. Under President Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem, criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.,” Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said, according to CBS News.
What she failed to acknowledge, however, is the several legal citizens who had to endure unlawful detainment. As we previously reported, the country has been wrecked with National Guard presence in cities like Los Angeles, Washington, D.C. and Portland, Ore.
Although several judges are fighting against Trump in court, federal agents maintain a strong presence in mostly Democratic cities. But the Canal St. raid marks uncharted territory…even for the president.
“ICE is not allowed to arrest American citizens,” Goldman continued during a press conference on Wednesday. He added that the citizens, whose identifies haven’t been released to the public, were only released from ICE custody after an announcement was made during Goldman’s press conference.
Other N.Y. officials condemned the raids. Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on X, “This is not who we are, and it will never be NYC when I am mayor.” Cuomo, who resigned from office in disgraced in 2021, is now running to be the next mayor of New York City. “The Statue of Liberty stands in our harbor, not as a decoration, but as a declaration of our values and the promise of America,” he added.
Other mayoral candidates like Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani pledged to fight against Trump if he’s elected mayor come the general election in November.
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