New York, New York - "Hands off!" chanted hundreds of New Yorkers furious over a roundup of street vendors by federal agents as part of President Donald Trump's escalating campaign against undocumented migrants.

Masked federal officers are often found in the halls of 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan, where immigrants attempting to remain in the US attend court hearings.

But on Tuesday, agents hit Canal Street in Chinatown, picking up nine African men suspected of being in the country illegally during an operation Homeland Security said focused on counterfeit goods.

New York City Newborn girl found abandoned at busy New York City subway station

Four people who sought to interrupt the arrests were also detained, but later released without charge.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement director Todd Lyons subsequently announced that arrests in New York would increase as it is a sanctuary city.

Lyons added that his agency's operations were not "random" but "intelligence-driven."

Several dozen New Yorkers took to the streets on Tuesday night to protest the arrests, followed by hundreds more on Wednesday.

Protester Lorelei Crean (18) warned that immigration officers had "been taking over all over the country."

"Now it's coming to New York, and this is New York showing and saying that ICE has to get out of New York," Crean said.

Political and religious leaders spoke out during a briefing on Thursday, alongside City Council speaker Adrienne Adams.

"We have gathered in unison to send a clear message to the Trump administration: Hands off New York City. Stop threatening our public safety and our economy," Adams said.

Since Trump's return to the White House in January, National Guard troops have deployed in several major Democratic cities, including Los Angeles, Washington, and Memphis.

"New York City does not want or need a military or federal occupation," Adams added.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Trump foe who has been indicted on charges she says are politically motivated, is seeking digital evidence of immigration raids in the city.

Migrant roundups topped the agenda at Wednesday's final debate among candidates for New York City's mayoral election on November 4.

All three leading candidates oppose the deployment of federal immigration officers in the city.

The frontrunner, Democrat Zohran Mamdani, called ICE "a reckless entity that cares little for the law and even less for the people that they're supposed to serve."

Mamdani has accused Trump of "looking to declare war" on New Yorkers and insisted he would only cooperate with the Republican president on bringing down the city's soaring cost of living.

Mamdani's closest rival, former state governor Andrew Cuomo, said that as mayor, he would "have to confront President Trump," while Republican Curtis Sliwa said "negotiation" would be the only solution.