“ICE is not allowed to arrest American citizens,” Goldman, accompanied by Murah Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, said during a press conference on Wednesday.
The families of the arrested U.S. citizens had filed missing persons reports with the New York City Police Department before they were released, Awawdeh said.
The four Americans were released without any charges, Goldman said, while nine undocumented immigrants detained by ICE have been moved to Delaney Hall in New York, Awawdeh said.
There was a specific reason based on criminal intelligence and criminal activity that we showed up on Canal Street,” Lyons said.
Crime rates are at record lows in New York City, according to the latest police data.
Four U’s. A. After a joint Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdown in New York City’s Chinatown neighborhood on Tuesday, Democratic Congressman Dan Goldman described the actions as “lawless terror” and said that citizens were arrested and detained for “nearly 24 hours” without facing any federal charges. “..”.
Goldman, joined by Murah Awawdeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, stated at a press conference on Wednesday that “ICE is not allowed to arrest American citizens.”.
According to him, the four Americans were detained at 26 Federal Plaza for almost twenty-four hours before being released about half an hour after Goldman’s press conference was announced.
The relatives of the U. S. . Before they were released, the New York City Police Department received missing persons reports from the public, according to Awawdeh.
According to Awawdeh, “this is not normal in democracies,”.
According to Goldman, the four Americans were freed without facing any charges, and Awawdeh stated that nine undocumented immigrants who were detained by ICE had been transferred to Delaney Hall in New York.
Assistant Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement Tuesday that ICE and federal partners from various agencies were conducting a “targeted, intelligence-driven enforcement operation” that was “focused on criminal activity relating to selling counterfeit goods” on Canal Street, a well-known shopping destination in Lower Manhattan, where the immigration operation was conducted.
According to WABC, an ABC station in New York, vendors were observed packing up their tables and trying to leave the area, which is known for retailers selling designer duplicates.
The “increase in ICE arrests” in New York City will be due to the “so many criminal illegal” immigrants, acting ICE Director Todd Lyons told Fox News on Wednesday morning.
“We will make those criminal arrests so that New York can be safe once more. It’s not random; it’s unquestionably intelligence-driven. We are not removing individuals from the street. We arrived on Canal Street for a specific reason based on criminal intelligence and criminal activity,” Lyons stated.
Lyons said, “The nine arrested, their rap sheets are long,” to Fox News reports. “Forgery, drug possession, drug trafficking, assault, and robbery.”. These were criminal aliens who were the target. We base our actions on criminal intelligence, and we had that. “..”.
Targeted enforcement is different from U.S. A. Random enforcement actions are carried out by the Border Patrol, which has been stationed in Los Angeles and Chicago.
Store owners had been grumbling about the retail for a while, according to Lyons.
According to Lyons, “if you watch the video, everything was fine with the officers talking to those individuals and making arrests until violent protesters did.”.
New York Attorney General Letitia James opened a portal Wednesday for the public to upload images and videos of Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the wake of the raid.
James said in a statement on Wednesday that he would examine the documents to see if any laws, such as “unlawful questioning, detention, or intimidation,” had been broken. “.”.
“Everyone in New York has the right to live without fear or intimidation,” James declared. “I strongly advise you to send my office the video if you saw and recorded any ICE activity yesterday. After reading these reports, we’re determined to determine whether there have been any legal infractions. Nobody ought to be unlawfully detained, questioned, or intimidated. “,”.
A rally “condemning the actions that occurred yesterday” is scheduled for Wednesday night in Foley sq\., according to Awawdeh. “..”.
The New York Police Department claimed on X earlier Tuesday that it was “not involved in the federal operation that took place on Canal Street.”. “,”.
City Hall also had “no involvement in this matter,” according to a statement from a city hall spokesperson. “..”.
The statement stated that “Mayor [Eric] Adams has been clear that resources should be focused on violent criminals and that law enforcement should not target undocumented New Yorkers who are attempting to pursue the American Dream.”.
Adams has given the NYPD instructions to step in if the situation worsens and someone assaults or obstructs a legitimate law enforcement operation, a person with knowledge of the matter told ABC News.
In New York City, the most recent police data shows that crime rates are at all-time lows.
The NYPD reported a more than 20 percent decrease in citywide shooting incidents during the first nine months of 2025 (553 vs. 693) year to date, which is their lowest level to date.
Citywide, murders have decreased by over 17 percent so far this year, and burglaries have decreased by 3 percent (9,410 vs. 9,783), which is the second-lowest level ever recorded.
Aaron Katersky, Meredith Deliso, and Peter Charalambous of ABC News contributed to this story.
