Federal immigration agents were briefly unable to leave a Lower Manhattan parking garage Saturday after demonstrators blocked the exits, escalating tensions ahead of a planned enforcement action on Canal Street that drew a rapid response from New Yorkers skeptical of federal activity in the area.
An independent reporter on X posted video showing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel staging in a garage near Centre Street and Howard Street in Lower Manhattan, with an estimated 20 to 25 agents gathered.
She wrote that more agents continued arriving and added that some were allegedly caught off guard.
She later reported that "New Yorkers BLOCK ICE from leaving their parking garage ahead of a flopped mass raid attempt on Canal Street" and that "they're currently stuck inside their own parking garage."
The account of the incident could not be independently confirmed.
ICE did not issue a public statement Saturday regarding the incident.
A later video posted on X showed police and protesters outside the garage.
The episode followed a similar confrontation in October, when dozens of armed federal personnel carried out a public arrest operation on Canal Street in Tribeca during the afternoon. That action targeted street vendors operating between Church Street and Lafayette Street, an area long known for counterfeit designer goods sold largely by West African migrants.
Protesters quickly assembled in October at the scene of the enforcement and again at 26 Federal Plaza, home to ICE's New York offices. The agency said 13 people were arrested during that earlier operation.
ICE has described its Canal Street actions as targeted and intelligence-driven.
The agency said its enforcement focused on criminal activity tied to counterfeiting and that violent demonstrators attempted to obstruct officers by blocking government vehicles.
According to ICE, nine criminal immigrants in the country illegally were taken into custody, with records that included robbery, burglary, domestic violence, assault on law enforcement, counterfeiting, drug trafficking, drug possession, and forgery.
Officials also reported the arrests of four demonstrators accused of assaulting law enforcement during the operation and another individual charged with obstruction.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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