Why Woodside's Streets Feel Different Right Now: Inside Queens' ICE Standoff

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 10: Students, activists and area politicians gather in Corona, Queens, a neighborhood with a significant immigrant population, to denounce the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arresting people in the area on August 10, 2026, in New York City. ICE actions have increased throughout New York City in recent months as the Trump administration continues to press for a surge in arrests in neighborhoods throughout the country with high numbers of immigrants. (Credit: Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Key Takeaways

• Assemblymember Steven Raga and City Council Member Julie Won say ICE has targeted a stretch of Woodside near 37th Avenue and 69th Street and General Hart Playground in recent days, including Saturday, Aug. 29.
• The Woodside incidents follow a monthlong wave of reported ICE activity across western Queens, including rallies at Corona Plaza on Aug. 10 and in East Elmhurst on Aug. 17, plus a reported 14 ICE pickups along Astoria and Northern boulevards in July, up from two in June.
• DHS says its "Operation Rotten Apple" led to 2,197 arrests statewide between July 27 and Aug. 29; the most current nationwide ICE data shows fewer than a third of people in detention have any criminal conviction.