On Tuesday, ICE raided the luxury knockoff mecca of Canal Street.
After the dust settled, they arrested nine illegal migrants from Africa, six of whom have criminal records. Among them was Muhmmned NDiaye of Senegal, who has a rap sheet that reportedly includes robbery, domestic violence, drugs and forgery.
Good riddance, right?
But this being New York City in 2025, our activist politicians ran like firefighters to protest the enforcement of our laws — and, ultimately, protect illegal migrants with criminal records.
They mobilized swiftly to tangle with ICE, marched to Federal Plaza and gave their thumbs a workout by blasting federal law enforcement on social media.
State Senator Julia Salazar wrote that “ICE terrorized and abducted our neighbors in Chinatown.”
City Comptroller Brad Lander thanked “the New Yorkers who mobilized quickly” to protest. Sandra Nurse, a City Councilwoman from Brooklyn, posted that “Trump is waging war on American cities. We will defend ourselves.”
City Councilman Shekar Krishnan of Queens boasted on X that he had just came back from protesting at Federal Plaza and urged support for his bill to decriminalize street vending.
Beleaguered Attorney General Letitia James put out an open call asking for photos and videos of ICE officers to upload into a new “portal to review federal immigration enforcement in New York after yesterday’s ICE raid on Canal Street.”
Yes, our state’s top law enforcement official set up a snitch line to go after Federal law enforcement. To, essentially, aid and abet criminal behavior.
And, no surprise, mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani jumped in to tweet: “Once again, the Trump administration chooses authoritarian theatrics that create fear, not safety. It must stop.”
Where was all this energy a couple of weeks ago when an innocent man had his head stomped in by a psychotic, violent recidivist after he politely opened a subway station door for him? How about when cops have been assaulted by illegal migrants or when a homeless woman sleeping on an F train was incinerated by an illegal migrant?
These tragic cases show major fissures in our system but, alas, they don’t score any political points for the resistance.
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine called the Chinatown raid “indefensible and reprehensible.” How about: helpful to his constituents?
And has he been to the gauntlet of filth that is Canal Street now?
For decades, it’s been a stretch where tourists buy Louis Vuitton and Rolex knockoffs. But conditions have devolved in recent years. Navigating Canal Street is like walking through a weed-scented third-world bazaar with aggressive vendors sprawled across the sidewalks.
It’s become increasingly hostile for residents and small business owners.
Just a month ago, NY1 reported that more than 800 people had signed a petition urging the NYPD to establish a more permanent enforcement to battle the spiraling chaos of Canal Street, including brazen drug deals caught on video.
“Drug use, muggings, people defecating on the street — it’s filth, and it’s crime that spans way beyond just the illegal vending of handbags in the neighborhood,” Mark Elman, who manages a building in the neighborhood, told the outlet. “The number one concern is safety.”
However, at every turn, our leaders show us that New Yorkers are an afterthought. Their primary concern is performative advocacy for illegal migrants, criminals and disorder.
Our city splashed out billions of dollars to house and feed illegal migrants over the last few years. And Mamdani has pledged to spend $100 million hiring lawyers to help those facing deportation.
Meanwhile, where does that leave the rest of us suckers?
Politicians should be embarrassed that we let illegals flout our laws — but they are shameless and only care about sticking it to Donald Trump.
In reality, they are sticking it to law-abiding New Yorkers.
This story originally appeared on NYPost
