Canal Street Chinatown raid: Who are the nine illegal aliens arrested, what are their past crimes? Details here
Federal authorities said 14 people, including demonstrators, had been arrested in the immigration enforcement operation on Manhattan's Canal Street.
The immigration enforcement operation on Manhattan's Canal Street on Tuesday saw nine illegal aliens get arrested, the Department of Homeland Security said. Federal authorities, on Wednesday, said that 14 people, including demonstrators who were accused of assaulting or obstructing agents, had been arrested.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, said that nine people were arrested in the initial immigration sweep, and four more were arrested for allegedly assaulting federal law enforcement officers. A fifth was arrested on an accusation of obstructing law enforcement by blocking a driveway, she said.
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McLaughlin called the initial sweep “a targeted, intelligence-driven” operation “focused on criminal activity relating to selling counterfeit goods." She further said some of the people arrested by authorities had previously been accused of crimes, including “robbery, burglary, domestic violence, assaulting law enforcement, counterfeiting, drug trafficking, drug possession, and forgery.”
Who are the 9 arrested and what are their past crimes?
The nine arrested in the operation include Mamadou Ndoye, a criminal illegal alien from Mali. He was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge in 2008.
Ndoye was previously arrested for crimes including assault, recklessly endangering, counterfeiting third degree, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, criminal sale of narcotics, possessing a controlled substance, possession of marijuana for sale, making false reports to law enforcement and resisting arrest, the DHS said.
Another person arrested was Muhammad Ndiaye, a criminal illegal alien from Senegal. He entered the U.S. on a B2 tourist visa that required him to depart in 1995. He has had previous arrests for domestic violence, robbery, receiving stolen property, burglary, fraudulent accosting. forgery, counterfeiting, sale of a controlled substance, obstruction, and disorderly conduct, the DHS said.
Aboubakar Diakite, a criminal illegal alien, with previous arrests for counterfeiting was also arrested during the Canal Street operation. Another illegal alien, Sergigne Diop from Senegal entered the U.S. in April 2024 at the southwest border, was previously released into the U.S. by the Biden administration, the DHS said. While they called Diop a ‘criminal’ his past crimes were not disclosed.
The DHS also named Alioune Sy, an illegal alien from Senegal who entered the U.S. in May 2023 and failed to depart after his tourist visa expired. Amadou Diallo, was another person arrested. The DHS said he is a ‘criminal illegal alien’ who had entered the U.S. November 2021 at the southwest border and was released by the Biden administration into the interior of the country.
Idy Sarr was another person arrested in the operation. The DHS noted he is an illegal alien from Senegal who was previously arrested for obstruction, possession of forged instrument, counterfeiting, failure to disclose origin of recording, drug possession and criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell. The federal agency said Bokar Soko, who was arrested too, is a criminal illegal alien from Mauritania, previously arrested for counterfeiting second degree three times.
Modou Mboup was also among the nine arrested. He's an illegal alien from Senegal and previously assaulted Mexican law enforcement. As per the DHS, he entered the U.S. in September 2023 in a caravan of 140 people at the southwest border and was released by the Biden administration into the country.
The Canal Street sweep came after at last two conservative influencers shared video on X of men selling bags on the sidewalks. The operation was widely slammed by those in the NYC Mayoral race.
Zohran Mamdani said “Once again, the Trump administration chooses authoritarian theatrics that create fear, not safety. It must stop.” Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that it was “more about fear than justice.” Canal Street is well known for counterfeit designer goods and bootlegged items and federal authorities often tie up with local law enforcement and luxury brands on crackdowns that aim to curb illicit trade. Canal Street runs through the neighborhood of Chinatown and forms the southern boundaries of SoHo and Little Italy along with the northern boundary of Tribeca.
However, Tuesday's actions did not have any New York Police Department involvement, Mayor Eric Adams said. “Our administration has been clear that undocumented New Yorkers trying to pursue their American Dreams should not be the target of law enforcement, and resources should instead be focused on violent criminals,” the Democrat stated.
(With AP inputs)
