‘There’s power in numbers’: New Yorkers are banding together to protect street vendors from ICE

People shop for produce at a street vendor stand in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City on 4 November 2025. Photograph: Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images

On a December day when temperatures dipped below 20 degrees, Street Vendor Project staff walked along a busy commercial street in the Bronx, handing out “know your rights” information to vendors selling fruits and vegetables. Several vendors mentioned they were scared after watching videos of immigration raids across the city.

“We used to go around helping vendors apply for permits so they wouldn’t get fined,” said Eric Nava-Pérez, Street Vendor Project’s Spanish-speaking member organizer. “But now, we’re out here distributing immigration rights information.”