 "At least 100 vendors had resumed trading after the crackdown. (FIle Photo/AFP)")
Canal Street in Chinatown is again crowded with illegal vendors selling counterfeit designer bags, electronics, and jewellery, returning in large numbers less than a month after ICE cleared the area and made arrests, the New York Post reported. Dozens of sellers were recorded on Friday offering goods ahead of the holiday rush, only to scatter when NYPD officers arrived.
By Sunday, fewer than two days later, as many as 100 vendors had resumed trading. They laid out imitation Chanel bags, iPhones and other counterfeit items on blankets between Lafayette and Centre streets, drawing queues of customers.
Sellers remain fearful yet persistent
Despite continued threats of police action and immigration enforcement, anxiety among vendors has deepened since last month’s raids. Diango, 56, a former shoe seller who now advises younger traders, said they react instantly to warnings. “You go in there and tell them immigration is here, and they’ll disappear. Not run, but disappear.” He said many are simply trying to earn a living.
Diango noted that the trade is far less profitable than it was two decades ago, claiming that in 2007 or 2008 sellers could make $1,000 a day. Now, he said, some vendors, many of whom come from Africa and Asia, may struggle to earn $100. “Some say they make $1,000 a day. They lying,” he added, describing the current merchandise as lower quality.[
Rapid retreats as police pass through
The tension was visible on Sunday when an NYPD squad car drove by with its sirens on, prompting more than a dozen vendors to hastily pack their goods into sheets, bags and carts before rushing away. Within minutes of the officers leaving, they returned to their spots and resumed trading.
Sowmmo, who works in a Canal Street gift shop, said police often wait for vendors to set up before moving in. He added that while the recent arrests may have caused some hesitation, authorities have limited ability to shut the operations down permanently.