Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents descended on a highly trafficked shopping hub in Manhattan on Tuesday, spurring confrontations by protesters.

Federal agents arrived at Canal Street in Chinatown, where illegal street vendors are known to operate, the Department of Homeland Security said. Some vendors attempted to flee the area, according to New York station WABC, while video from amNY.com shows bystanders pushing toward and accosting officers while chanting “ICE out now.”

ICE partnered with other federal agencies to conduct “a targeted, intelligence-driven enforcement operation” that was “focused on criminal activity relating to selling counterfeit goods,” Assistant Department of Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the Daily Beast in a statement.

Officials from

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