Federal judges in separate cases have ordered the release of multiple West African vendors swept up in federal immigration arrests on Canal Street, calling at least some of the detentions unlawful. The rulings are throwing fresh scrutiny on the recent deployment of masked federal agents along the busy Lower Manhattan shopping strip, and lawyers and advocates say the decisions could reshape how ICE decides whom to detain in public.
According to Gothamist, the men released include Serigne Diop, Mamadou Ndoye and Abdou Tall, who were among a group arrested in October operations on Canal Street. Gothamist reports that at least four other vendors remain in ICE custody in New Jersey and Louisiana.
Judge Says ICE Broke Its Own Rules
U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick granted Mamadou Ndoye’s habeas petition after finding his detention was “in violation of their own regulations,” and ordered his release. CourtListener records show Ndoye was stopped near Canal Street and later confined under a revoked order of supervision, a decision the court said the government failed to adequately justify. He was released with GPS monitoring and was briefly re-detained when ICE summoned him for a device adjustment, according to the court filings.
Other Judges Echo Concerns About Raids
Manhattan Judge Arun Subramanian issued a short order on Dec. 23 directing the release of Abdou Tall and noting the government had not followed the procedures required for detention; the order states, “The Court orders petitioner’s release within 24 hours.” That order and related filings are reflected in CourtListener records and were summarized by Gothamist, which added that a New Jersey judge found Serigne Diop’s arrest “blatantly unlawful” and that a lawsuit over Modou Mboup’s detention is pending.
Street Vendors, Neighbors And Officials Push Back
Vendors and bystanders said the October sweep felt indiscriminate and left many fearful of doing business, with some recounting agents demanding passports or other identification on the sidewalk. As reported by the AP, protesters and elected officials condemned the operation and New York’s attorney general asked the public to submit photos and video to help determine whether the raid broke the law.
Why These Canal Street Rulings Reach Far Beyond SoHo
The Canal Street orders fit into a broader wave of judicial pushback: a recent review shows federal judges across the country have repeatedly found ICE detentions unlawful, prompting a surge of habeas petitions. A review reported by Reuters found hundreds of courts have issued thousands of rulings since last fall, underscoring the national legal strain on immigration detention practices.
Attorneys for the Canal Street vendors say they will press for supervised-release terms rather than re-detention and that the court orders could push ICE to tighten its on-the-street arrest procedures. With multiple lawsuits pending and judges increasingly enforcing procedural protections, the Canal Street cases could become a test of whether enforcement tactics change or continue under current policies.
