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The state AG has launched a new reporting form urging residents to share photos and videos of federal immigration enforcement throughout the state. This move comes just a day after a high-profile ICE raid disrupted NYC's Chinatown, prompting mass outcry.

American Citizens Arrested During Raid

A congressional representative disclosed during a midweek briefing that four citizens were detained and held for "almost a full day" after Tuesday's raid. Rallies occurred in NYC on both Tuesday and Wednesday.

"Every New Yorker deserves to exist without intimidation," the attorney general stated in a announcement.

"If you witnessed and recorded federal operations yesterday, I encourage you to submit that footage with the authorities. We are committed to assessing these accounts and investigating any violations of law."

Portal Features

The platform includes spaces to submit visual evidence of the operation, as well as a section to specify where it occurred. Before submitting, submitters must mark a box that states that "the attorney general could utilize any materials, images, or footage in a public document, such as in a lawsuit or government document."

Details of the Chinatown Raid

The enforcement action, which onlookers say involved more than 50 government officers, happened in a well-known district of the city where imitation products and other goods are regularly available in large quantities – often to tourists.

Videos of the operation depict numerous hooded and equipped officers securing and holding a person, and forcing aside witnesses. Throngs of residents pursued the agents along the roads. An armored military vehicle was also seen traveling down the Manhattan avenues.

Political Response

During a news conference featuring the rights organization, congressman Dan Goldman, a Democrat, stated that four US citizens were detained by ICE for almost a full day and that there were "no circumstances where four American citizens should be detained for unjustly." He clarified the citizens were let go on Wednesday with no charges filed.

"There's a clear purpose here. It is not to take criminals off the street," Goldman remarked. "This constitutes a armed campaign to incite tension. It is merely a pretext to incite violence for federal officials to deploy the armed forces to stop violence that they initiated."

Widespread Condemnation

Outrage over the ICE raid rapidly grew – all three NYC mayor hopefuls criticized the raid, as did the state leader.

"Repeatedly, the federal government opts for heavy-handed tactics that generate terror, not safety. It has to end," one mayoral candidate wrote.

NYC community groups spoke out too.

"ICE raided the neighborhood with armored transports, hooded officers and protective equipment to target street vendors working to survive. This action had nothing to do with public safety and was entirely about frightening communities and neighborhoods," remarked the leader of a rights organization.

Agency Rules

ICE policy prohibits the detention of US citizens and the bureau has said it will not apprehend American nationals. Yet, independent reporting has revealed that numerous citizens have been held against their will by immigration authorities since the beginning of the existing leadership.

Recent Pattern

ICE raids have been cropping up increasingly in the state and across the US lately.

An October operation in central NYC was the earliest reported action on an housing center of the current administration. Rallies opposing immigration enforcement are widespread along with claims of aggression and inhumane treatment.

Latest, a document submitted by legal entities stated healthcare failures of pregnant women in ICE facilities.