NEW YORK (PIX11) — An attorney was at work when she witnessed chaos erupting as ICE agents clashed with a large crowd in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon.
Nicole Waknine was in her office in Manhattan when she saw dozens of federal agents engaging with citizens near Lafayette Street just after 4:30 p.m.
Agents could be seen pushing people as a car attempted to pull through. Within 30 minutes, hundreds of people were in the streets screaming things like “shame.”
“I didn’t feel safe, it was very chaotic, and it was very upsetting,” Waknine said in a phone call with PIX11 News. “A crowd was forming around a car and trying to intervene. Officers were making arrests on Canal and Lafayette Street.”
ICE agents were believed to be targeting West African vendors who sell counterfeit merchandise on Canal Street, which the NYPD has been cracking down on over the past year. Immigration advocates estimate that around 40 people were arrested, but they are still trying to get the numbers confirmed.
Waknine, who said she works down in Lower Manhattan, can imagine who ICE agents were going after, although she didn’t witness arrests of any alleged migrants. She stated that the crowd eventually dispersed, and at one point, it gathered at 26 Federal Plaza.
This story comprises reporting from PIX11 News reporter Emily Rahhal.
Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.
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