Street Vendors in New York Fear Being Targeted By Immigration Crackdown After Mayor Adams' Veto: 'We Are Not Criminals'

Street vendors across New York City say they fear being targeted by immigration enforcement after Mayor Eric Adams vetoed a bill that would have removed criminal misdemeanor penalties for selling food without a cart permit, a new Documented report revealed.

The measure, known as Introduction 47-B, would have replaced misdemeanor penalties with civil fines, a change vendors say could have prevented such violations from appearing in immigration records. In vetoing the measure, Mayor Adams argued that it would strip the city of "an important enforcement tool" to regulate street vending violations under the city's administrative code.

Advocates warn that the continued use of criminal summonses puts the overwhelmingly immigrant vendor workforce — 96% of them are foreign-born — at greater risk of deportation. New York City requires a vending unit permit, but with a waitlist exceeding 10,000, it can take decades to obtain one. Many work without a permit in the meantime, risking criminal tickets.

"As immigrants we have been given that label of being criminals," said Sonia Pérez, who has been a Bushwick vendor for more than two decades, when consulted by Documented. "But we are not criminals, we are humans who are trying to make a living." Pérez, who recently obtained her permit after 27 years, said increased ICE raids have led some vendors to abandon their carts entirely.

City data shows the NYPD issued 1,244 criminal summonses to vendors in 2023 — triple the number in 2022. "You don't see a police officer walking into a restaurant and writing a criminal ticket to the worker or the manager there," said Mohamed Attia of the Street Vendor Project, who argued enforcement could still occur through civil summonses.

Council Member Shekar Krishnan, the bill's lead sponsor, said the Council intends to override the veto, noting the Street Vendor Advisory Board, which includes NYPD representatives, unanimously supported removing criminal liability. "At this moment, a vendor being prosecuted in the criminal system has direct and collateral immigration consequences," he said.

City Hall spokesperson Zachary Nosanchuk said the veto preserves NYPD enforcement tools to address "persistent quality-of-life issues," emphasizing that the administration has invested over $120 million in free legal services for immigrants and taken steps to aid those detained by ICE.

The debate comes as Mayor Adams faces mounting political challenges, including a decision by the city's Campaign Finance Board to withhold millions in matching funds from his reelection bid.