An illegal immigrant allegedly selling counterfeit merchandise on Canal Street in Chinatown was apprehended by ICE on Saturday, and the agency later blasted the NYPD for repeatedly releasing the man from custody amid the revolving door criminal justice system.
Abdou Tall, who is from Senegal, was detained at Broadway and Canal Street in lower Manhattan at midday during a “targeted operation,” according to an ICE official.
Tall has been arrested several times for allegedly trafficking counterfeit items, according to a spokeswoman.
“Tall fled from law enforcement on foot for several blocks before he tripped and fell and then continued to actively resist arrest,” the spokesperson said. “Our officers followed their training and successfully arrested him.”
However, one day after a White House meeting between Zohran Mamdani and President Donald Trump, during which the two appeared to be bosom mates, the agency slammed the NYPD for failing to honor an ICE detainer after Tall was arrested on Oct. 7 for felony trademark counterfeiting.
“But instead of turning him over to ICE custody, they released this criminal illegal alien back into the community where he immediately resumed his criminal activity leading to a second NYPD arrest for felony trademark counterfeiting on Oct. 11,” the ICE spokesperson said. “This time he was released by NYPD before ICE could even lodge a detainer.”
ICE also criticized the city for its liberal criminal justice policies.
“Between sanctuary laws, bail reform, and soft on crime politicians’ refusal to work with ICE, New York has become a revolving door for criminal illegal aliens to terrorize the city’s neighborhoods,” the ICE spokesperson said. “Secretary (Kristi) Noem has made it clear that ICE will not allow criminal illegal aliens to victimize American citizens.”
About an hour before the ICE agents came, the NYPD was doing routine vendor enforcement on Canal Street and Broadway and confiscated 25 bags of counterfeit/trademark merchandise, according to a police spokesperson. The representative stated that they confiscated a single bag approximately 15 minutes before ICE arrived.
The “federal agents appeared at the location unrelated to any NYPD activity” and “NYPD personnel immediately left the area and did not interact with the federal agents,” the NYPD spokesperson said.