Federal agents detained several people while conducting an operation on Manhattan’s busy Canal Street, searching for undocumented immigrants who may have connections to illegal street vending, according to a senior law enforcement official familiar with the matter.
Dozens of agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) were seen wearing marked vests near the intersection of Canal and Broadway, detaining several people late Monday afternoon and loading them into unmarked vans waiting nearby.
The senior law enforcement official said ICE and HSI were looking for undocumented individuals who may have been engaged in illegally selling items on the street. Sidewalk vendors are a common sight throughout the city and have been so for decades, especially in the area of Canal Street.
Federal agents were seen taking five or six people into custody, though an official number of those detained was not immediately known. Two people who were initially seen being detained were later released; both of the men told NBC New York that they are American citizens.
Witnesses who watched the operation unfold on the street could be heard yelling at agents as they took people away.
In addition to ICE and HSI agents, there were also law enforcement officers present wearing vests that read DEA and FBI. A spokesperson for the FBI confirmed its special agents were embedded with teams from Homeland Security conducting these kinds operations not just in New York City, but around the country.
The NYPD said the department had “no involvement in the federal operation that took place on Canal Street.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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