Mayoral candidates Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa all criticized a chaotic U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) raid carried out in Chinatown on Tuesday that sparked fierce backlash from furious protesters and immigration advocates.
The raid, which began around 3 p.m. on October 21 near the intersection of Centre and Canal Streets, saw federal agents questioning street vendors in the area as part of an operation aimed at tackling counterfeit goods, according to a Homeland Security official.
Within moments, a crowd of angry New Yorkers surrounded ICE agents as they carried out the operation, with federal agents eventually moving to arrest several protesters — which only further inflamed the crowd.
Some New Yorkers shouted at agents as they carried out the operation, describing agents as “disgusting” and demanding that they stop as one individual was tackled to the ground.
ICE agents raided Chinatown’s Canal Street on Tuesday afternoon, detaining several street vendors in an operation that drew immediate and fierce backlash from bystanders and immigrant advocates.https://t.co/oCNwAFWfft pic.twitter.com/JNe0q09pTg
— amNewYork™ (@amNewYork) October 21, 2025
“Does that feel good? I bet your mom and dad are so proud of you….You should be ashamed of yourself,” one protester told agents on Tuesday.
Later on Tuesday night, protesters and local elected officials marched outside 26 Federal Plaza, demanding that federal agents leave New York City.
ICE raid ‘aggressive and reckless’
All three mayoral candidates have now weighed in on the issue, with Mamdani and Cuomo strongly criticizing the ICE operation. Sliwa, meanwhile, said ICE operations should make individuals involved in major crime a “top priority” instead of focusing on working people.
Mamdani described Tuesday’s raid as “aggressive and reckless,” accusing President Donald Trump of attempting to stoke fear in New York City through “authoritarian” tactics.
“Federal agents from ICE and HSI (Homeland Security Investigation)—some in military fatigues and masks—descended on Chinatown today in an aggressive and reckless raid on immigrant street vendors,” Mamdani wrote in a post on X. “Once again, the Trump administration chooses authoritarian theatrics that create fear, not safety. It must stop.”
Cuomo similarly condemned the raid as an “abuse of federal power,” also alleging that Tuesday’s raid sought to sow fear among New Yorkers. Cuomo also referenced the Statue of Liberty, stating that the landmark stands as a declaration of the values promised to everyone in the United States.
“The Statue of Liberty stands in our harbor, not as a decoration, but as a declaration of our values and the promise of America,” Cuomo wrote on X. “Today’s ICE raid in Chinatown was an abuse of federal power by the Trump administration: more about fear than justice, more about politics than safety.
“New York was built by immigrants and we will not be bullied into betraying who we are.”
Sliwa urged federal authorities to ensure that public safety “comes first” by focusing their efforts on gang members, sex traffickers and individuals involved in major crimes.
“Curtis believes public safety must come first, and that deporting gang members, sex traffickers, and those involved in major crimes should be a top federal priority,” Sliwa campaign spokesperson Daniel Kurzyna said in a statement.
“He has also been clear that restaurants and other service industries should not be the focus of immigration enforcement, and that resources should target dangerous offenders, not working people,” Kurzyna added.
A plea for peaceful intervention
Meanwhile, City Comptroller Brad Lander, who has frequently protested against federal actions and joined Tuesday night’s protest, encouraged New Yorkers to “show up” peacefully for immigrant communities.
Lander encouraged people to support street vendors by patronizing their business and called for “non-violent civil disobedience” against Trump’s immigration agenda.
“If you’re a New Yorker tonight thinking, ‘What could I do tomorrow?’ Patronize a street vendor. That’s what New York City looks like,” Lander said. “You want to do something tomorrow that says I’ve got the backs of immigrant New Yorkers. I’m on the side of this beautiful, diverse city. I am against Donald Trump sending troops here for street vendors.”
Lander had joined U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman at a separate protest Monday calling on the NYPD to arrest federal officers if they break the law while detaining people in the city. Speaking on Tuesday, he called on NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch to ensure that the NYPD is “keeping New Yorkers safe,” including protecting street vendors operating in the city.
“Street vendors are not a national security threat; they’re a big part of what makes New York City, New York City. There is no excuse for sending military style vehicles and a national law enforcement response for street vendors,” Lander said at Tuesday’s protest. “What we need to all be doing is show up to say ICE out of New York.”
