About 200 Protesters Halt ICE Operation Near Manhattan’s Chinatown; Several Arrested

Roughly 200 protesters blocked federal immigration vehicles at a lower Manhattan parking garage on Saturday, forcing agents to abandon a planned operation near Chinatown. The standoff led to physical scuffles with police and several arrests as tensions escalated into confrontations on nearby Canal Street.

Federal personnel from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had been assembling at the site when demonstrators constructed makeshift barricades — including garbage bags and metal barriers — to prevent vehicles from leaving. Witnesses and multiple reports say that when some government vehicles exited the garage they were followed down Canal Street, and some protesters hurled planters and trash cans at the convoy. A masked occupant of one vehicle allegedly sprayed several people with what appeared to be a chemical irritant.

Raid Called Off

Officials say the agents ultimately abandoned the operation. This would have been the second large-scale enforcement action in lower Manhattan in about six weeks; an earlier October operation resulted in the arrest of nine people identified by DHS as living in the United States without authorization and prompted spontaneous protests at the time.

City Responses and Criticism

The mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani, condemned the recent federal action. Monica Klein, a spokesperson for Mamdani’s transition team, described the raid as "cruel and inhumane" and emphasized the mayor-elect’s commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of the city’s immigrant communities while favoring de-escalation over unnecessary force.

"New York City’s more than three million immigrants are central to our city’s strength, vitality, and success, and the mayor-elect remains steadfast in his commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of every single New Yorker, upholding our sanctuary laws, and de-escalation rather than use of unnecessary force," said Monica Klein.

DHS issued a statement blaming the violence on a group of agitators who, the department said, gathered after social media posts and obstructed federal law enforcement officers. The department said the New York Police Department (NYPD) responded to assist with crowd control and that multiple arrests followed.

Local officials criticized the NYPD’s involvement, particularly the deployment of the Strategic Response Group (SRG). City law generally limits NYPD cooperation in immigration arrests, and some elected leaders argued the SRG’s actions effectively cleared a path for federal enforcement. City council member Christopher Marte called the situation "despicable," accusing the NYPD and SRG of facilitating federal immigration arrests and potential deportations.

After his election, Mamdani announced he would retain Jennifer Tisch as NYPD commissioner. According to sources, Commissioner Tisch spoke by phone with a senior Homeland Security investigations official during the incident and described the day’s events as "unacceptable," saying they put New Yorkers, federal agents and NYPD officers at risk.

The episode underscores continuing tensions between federal immigration enforcement efforts and local communities and elected officials in New York City. Authorities are reviewing the incident, and more information is expected as investigations and public statements continue.