Todd Lyons, the director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), announced on Wednesday that New York City should anticipate an uptick in immigration arrests following an incident where protesters confronted ICE agents during an operation.

In a conversation with Fox News, Lyons explained, “Expect to see a rise in ICE arrests because of the significant number of criminals and undocumented immigrants that have been released in New York, particularly.” He emphasized the necessity of these actions to enhance public safety, stating, “Our operations are guided by intelligence, not random. We’re not indiscriminately detaining individuals on the streets. Our presence on Canal Street was driven by specific intelligence related to criminal activity.”

The Hill has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for their perspective on the situation.

According to a statement from the DHS to The Hill, ICE agents executed a focused and intelligence-driven operation on Canal Street in New York City on Tuesday, aiming at criminal activities associated with the sale of counterfeit goods.

ICE agents “conducted a targeted, intelligence-driven enforcement operation on Canal Street in New York City, focused on criminal activity relating to selling counterfeit goods” on Tuesday, the DHS told The Hill.

Four U.S. citizens were arrested during the incident, Rep. Daniel Goldman (D-N.Y.) said at a press conference, ABC News reported. They were held at 26 Federal Plaza for nearly 24 hours. About 30 minutes after the press conference was announced, they were released.

“ICE is not allowed to arrest American citizens,” Goldman said.

When asked about the four American citizens, the DHS statement to The Hill highlighted the following: “Additionally, four violent rioters were arrested for assaulting law and enforcement, and another rioter was arrested for obstruction.”

“ICE arrested nine illegal aliens with criminal histories including robbery, burglary domestic violence, assaulting law enforcement, counterfeiting, drug trafficking, drug possession and forgery,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in the statement. “The majority of those arrested were released into the country by the Biden administration.”

Protesters confronted ICE agents during the Canal Street enforcement operation, which began midafternoon. They pushed back on the masked agents, shouting, “ICE out of New York” and “fascists.”

NewsNation, The Hill’s sister network, captured video multiple of arrests. One person was captured on live TV being pinned to the ground and zip tied. The person, who appeared to be a protester and wore a face covering, was taken by law enforcement while he was face down on the ground.