Democrats are once again facing backlash after pushing a false story about Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests in New York City. What liberal media first framed as an attack on innocent “street vendors” turned out to be a major bust of criminal illegal aliens with long, violent histories.

The Department of Homeland Security released the details after progressive outlets and left-wing activists erupted in outrage over an ICE operation in Chinatown’s Canal Street. The raid led to the arrest of nine men who, according to officials, were anything but harmless.

“New York’s Canal Street is safer: Nine illegal aliens arrested have violent rap sheets, including robbery, burglary, domestic violence, assaulting law enforcement, counterfeiting, drug trafficking, drug possession, and forgery,” DHS said in a statement.

The department made clear that the crackdown was part of President Trump’s renewed effort to remove criminal aliens from American streets.

“Under President Trump and @Sec_Noem, criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S.,” the statement continued.

Further details revealed that five of the nine arrested had been released into the country under the Biden administration. DHS officials said the operation was designed to target individuals with outstanding removal orders and serious criminal records.

One of those arrested was identified as Mamadou Ndoye, a criminal illegal alien from Mali.

According to DHS, Ndoye was “issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge in 2008.” He had a long list of prior arrests, including assault, reckless endangerment, counterfeiting, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and multiple narcotics charges. He had also been caught making false reports to police and resisting arrest.

Another suspect, Muhammad Ndiaye of Senegal, had entered the U.S. on a tourist visa that required him to leave in 1995. He never left — and instead built up a criminal record that included domestic violence, robbery, burglary, forgery, counterfeiting, and drug-related offenses.

A third individual, identified as Idy Sarr, also from Senegal, had been issued a final order of removal in 2010. DHS said Sarr’s rap sheet included obstruction, possession of forged instruments, counterfeiting, and drug charges involving the intent to sell controlled substances.

Officials said the operation was part of a broader enforcement effort to clean up criminal activity in major cities. The Canal Street area has long been known for counterfeit goods and illicit trafficking, making it a hotspot for illegal activity.

While the arrests drew applause from conservatives, Democrats and anti-ICE activists immediately tried to spin the story. Liberal outlets ran sympathetic pieces about “street vendors” being unfairly targeted by immigration officers. That narrative collapsed once DHS released the suspects’ names and charges.

The revelations left Democrats scrambling to explain why their party continues to side with criminals over law enforcement. The episode echoed past incidents where the left portrayed suspects as victims, only to have the facts prove otherwise.

Republicans were quick to point out the pattern. Every time ICE conducts a major operation, critics on the left call it cruel — until the mugshots come out. Then the outrage goes silent.

The reality is that under President Trump and Secretary Kristi Noem, ICE is doing exactly what it was designed to do: protect the American public. The agency’s latest success story exposed just how disconnected the left’s messaging has become from the truth.

For residents of New York, it means one thing — the streets are safer tonight because ICE did its job, no matter how loudly the radicals complain.