NEW YORK (NewsNation) — Nationwide Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and President Donald Trump’s promise of mass deportations are unsettling some New Yorkers — and some street vendors, fearing arrest, are staying home.
The sense of fear in the New York City community is palpable and visible. Following ICE raids across the area, fewer vendors are on the city’s streets.
It comes as the agency’s 25 field offices were reportedly ordered to enhance “routine operations” to meet a quota of 1,200 to 1,500 arrests per day.
Since taking office, Trump has ordered other federal law enforcement agencies to assist with immigration efforts and scrapped restrictions at schools, churches and hospitals.
ICE raids rattle NYC street vendors
One of the first raids under the new administration targeted a fish wholesaler in Newark, New Jersey, and the most recent took place at the Bronx Terminal Market.
ICE isn’t just going after undocumented workers with criminal records; it’s also detaining people who haven’t committed crimes, including U.S. citizens and veterans. This has created widespread anxiety among restaurant owners and staff, many of whom view their teams as family and are now afraid that anyone could be swept up in a raid.
Street vendors, the majority of whom are immigrants, are in an even tougher position. With a strict city cap on vending permits, many operate without the proper license, and if caught, they risk a criminal summons, which could put them directly in ICE’s path. As a result, some vendors have stopped working altogether to avoid being detained or deported.
Those who continue to work have reportedly started forming messaging groups to warn each other about ICE sightings and to offer mutual support.
Advocates call for more vending permits
Immigration advocates and nonprofits, such as the Street Vendor Project, are backing legislation that would expand the number of available street-vending permits and reduce criminal charges for minor violations so that selling food without a license won’t lead to deportation.
According to the Immigration Research Initiative, 75% of mobile food vendors are forced to work without a license because of the city’s cap.
The Street Vendor Project is also pushing for a shift in enforcement responsibility from the New York Police Department to the New York City Department of Sanitation, which technically oversees street vending, in hopes of reducing the risk of ICE involvement.
