Federal raid on Manhattan’s Chinatown sparks fear among Asian Americans

Federal agents targeting street vendors in Manhattan’s Chinatown earlier this week detained nine immigrants on counterfeiting charges, an enforcement action that has heightened anxiety among Asian American locals about becoming the next targets of immigration raids.

What happened: Officers from ICE, Border Patrol, FBI, DEA and ATF swarmed Canal Street on Tuesday at around 4 p.m. The masked agents wore tactical gear, with some in military fatigues carrying long guns. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described it as a targeted, intelligence-driven enforcement operation focused on counterfeit merchandise sales.

The action came days after conservative influencer Savanah Hernandez of Turning Point USA posted a video to X urging ICE to investigate the location. “A huge group of African illegal immigrants are operating a black market on the corner of Broadway and Canal St. in New York City,” she alleged in part. As agents conducted arrests, four U.S. citizens protesting were also detained overnight before being released Wednesday without charges. The following day, Canal Street’s normally bustling sidewalks were largely empty.

What this means: West African vendors were the raid’s primary targets. But the show of force in a neighborhood built by Chinese immigrants over generations suggests all minority communities are at risk. During the sweep, agents reportedly made stops that seemed based on appearance. Awa Ngam, a U.S. citizen from Mauritania, recounted being asked for identification, then a passport she does not carry. “They asked every African that was here for their status,” she told the Associated Press.

Experts have raised alarms about such tactics. Muzaffar Chishti, senior fellow and director at NYU Law School’s Migration Policy Institute, told Gothamist that under these approaches, “Anybody other than the Robert Redford-looking could be subject to arrest.” Historian Jack Tchen also told The New York Times that the raid continues a pattern of discrimination against Chinese Americans, noting, “Anti-Chinese attitudes have been in this country for a long time.” The threat became more concrete when Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons promised “an increase in ICE arrests” in New York. For Asian Americans, particularly those with mixed immigration status, the message is clear: ethnic neighborhoods may no longer offer the safety of community.

What officials are saying: City and state officials moved quickly to distance themselves from the federal action. Mayor Eric Adams’ office said the city played no role, emphasizing that under local law, New York does not cooperate with federal authorities on civil immigration enforcement. The NYPD separately confirmed it had no involvement. At the state level, Gov. Kathy Hochul criticized the operation, noting that while Trump “claims he’s targeting the ‘worst of the worst,’” his agents “used batons and pepper spray on street vendors and bystanders on Canal Street.”

Meanwhile, federal officials defended their actions, with DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin maintaining that the crowd turned violent. “During this law enforcement operation, rioters who were shouting obscenities, became violent and obstructed law enforcement duties including blocking vehicles and assaulting law enforcement,” she said.

The big picture: This week’s raid deepens tensions between federal and local authorities over immigration enforcement. The stakes are high: Trump has threatened to send federal troops to New York if Zohran Mamdani wins the mayoral election, as he has done with other Democratic-led cities. The combination of promised enforcement escalation and appearance-based tactics suggests that immigrant neighborhoods face an uncertain future.

Community response, however, has been forceful and organized. By Wednesday evening, hundreds marched to ICE’s New York headquarters in protest. State Atty. Gen. Letitia James also launched an online portal to collect evidence of potential legal violations during the raid.