A federal raid in New York City’s Chinatown neighborhood on Tuesday resulted in the arrests of nine migrants from West Africa who were in the United States illegally, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told Fox News.
Four protesters were also taken into custody for allegedly blocking ICE officers and throwing objects at them.
Officials said the migrants are from Senegal, Mali and Guinea and were busted for allegedly selling counterfeit items in the area.
ICE said the protesters who were detained have criminal backgrounds.
Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News that ICE and federal partners conducted a “targeted, intelligence-driven enforcement operation” on Canal Street focused on criminal activity related to the sale of alleged counterfeit goods.