New York elected officials on Wednesday vowed to fight back against federal immigration authorities targeting immigrant New Yorkers, calling on the public to collect evidence and the NYPD to arrest hotheaded agents “if necessary.”
The pushback came a day after agents for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, some in armored vehicles, fanned out on Canal St. in lower Manhattan, detaining five immigrants from West Africa and arresting four U.S. citizens among throngs of New Yorkers who spontaneously came upon the scene and chanted “shame” until the agents left.
State Attorney General Tish James appealed to New Yorkers who were there or who have otherwise witnessed or documented ICE activity to share their photos and videos with her office.
“Every New Yorker has the right to live without fear or intimidation,” James said in a statement. “If you witnessed and documented ICE activity yesterday, I urge you to share that footage with my office. We are committed to reviewing these reports and assessing any violations of law. No one should be subject to unlawful questioning, detention or intimidation.”
An online portal, which can be found through the AG’s website, asks witnesses to provide their contact information and details on what they physically witnessed, and agree to let the AG use any documents, photographs or videos provided in legal proceedings.
At a press briefing later Wednesday, Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman, whose district includes the Canal St. area, said the four citizens detained at 26 Federal Plaza overnight were released about 30 minutes after his office notified media members he would hold a press conference outside the lower Manhattan facility.
Goldman said Tuesday’s bust represented an escalation by immigration authorities, and accused agents of targeting immigrants as a pretext to incite violence and hand the Trump administration an excuse to bring in the military.
The congressman called on the NYPD, which was not involved in Tuesday’s raid, to arrest ICE agents if they witness them using excessive force.
“We will continue to call on the NYPD to make sure that they are present for these raids,” Goldman said.
“If necessary, they also need to be prepared to arrest agents who are assaulting New Yorkers in violation of the law.”
Goldman also said his office was overseeing the creation of a “rapid response task force” that would assistant people being targeted by ICE, though he did not share details of who would be on it or how it would meaningfully protect people.
The Canal St. thoroughfare, which has for decades teemed with vendors and tourists looking to buy knockoff designer goods and other wares at a discount on any given day, was uncharacteristically quiet Wednesday, nary a handbag seller in sight.
Despite outrage from everyday New Yorkers and city and state politicians, Acting Director of ICE Todd Lyons on Wednesday said the agency would dramatically expand its activities in the five boroughs. He told Fox News, “You will see us making the criminal arrests to make New York safe again.”
