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New York state AG has introduced a new digital platform encouraging residents to share images and footage of immigration raids around New York. This move comes just a day after a major immigration operation shook Manhattan's Chinatown, sparking large-scale demonstrations.

US Citizens Held In Enforcement Action

A US congressman announced during a midweek briefing that four US citizens were taken into custody and held for "about 24 hours" after the enforcement action. Rallies erupted in NYC on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

"Each citizen is entitled to live without fear," the attorney general wrote in a release.

"For those who saw and captured immigration enforcement recently, I encourage you to share that material with the authorities. We are dedicated to reviewing these reports and investigating any legal breaches."

Submission Process

The form offers options to submit visual evidence of the raid, plus a section to note where it occurred. When submitting, submitters must mark a option that states that "the attorney general might employ any documents, photographs, or videos in a official report, such as in a court case or government document."

Details of the ICE Action

The Chinatown raid, which onlookers say featured over fifty federal agents, happened in a famous neighborhood of the city where fake purses, items, goods and additional items are regularly available widely – typically to sightseers.

Videos of Tuesday's raid show numerous covered and weaponized federal agents restraining and arresting a person, and shoving away bystanders. Masses of residents trailed the agents down the sidewalks. An armored military vehicle was noticed traveling down the Manhattan avenues.

Leadership Statements

At a Wednesday press conference featuring the immigrant advocacy group, the congressman, a lawmaker, stated that four US citizens were detained by ICE for nearly 24 hours and that there were "no conditions where US citizens should be detained for unjustly." He noted the individuals were released on the following day with no charges filed.

"The intent is obvious here. It is not about removing offenders," he stated. "This constitutes a military-style operation to create conflict. It is merely a justification to incite violence for federal officials to bring in the troops to stop unrest that they have created."

Extensive Outcry

Fury over the ICE raid escalated – all three NYC mayor hopefuls criticized the incident, as did the state leader.

"Once again, the federal government chooses authoritarian theatrics that generate terror, not safety. It has to end," a political candidate stated.

The city's immigrant rights groups voiced concern as well.

"Immigration agents descended on Chinatown in NYC with tactical trucks, masked agents and protective equipment to target street vendors attempting to earn income. This operation had no connection to community security and everything to do with frightening communities and communities," stated the head of a advocacy group.

Official Guidelines

ICE policy bans the holding of citizens and the agency has claimed it does not take into custody American nationals. However, external research has revealed that over 170 American nationals have been taken illegally by ICE since the start of the current administration.

Ongoing Trend

Immigration operations have been cropping up increasingly in New York and around the country lately.

A mid-October raid in central NYC was the initial documented operation on an immigrant shelter of the current administration. Rallies targeting immigration enforcement are commonplace as are allegations of force and cruel conditions.

Latest, a letter filed by civil rights groups claimed healthcare failures of expectant mothers in ICE facilities.