A woman wearing a polka dot dress is a hero for all New Yorkers as she stood up to ICE agents during an immigration raid. The raid was targeting streets in the Chinatown neighborhood where street vendors operate.
It was a chaotic scene in Manhattan‘s iconic Canal area as large crowds tried to prevent the ICE agents from leaving. The agents were after the vendors who had been selling fragrances, gadgets, and counterfeit designer purses in the open marketplace. According to the DHS rep. Tricia McLaughlin, this raid was just to fight the “counterfeit goods” sellers.
At the end of the raid, multiple arrests were made as usual. The group of people also chanted, “ICE out of New York,” while also encouraging other people who were going home from work to take part in the demonstration.
They were obstructing ICE vehicles, and the agents were trying to move the people by pushing them. They were also threatening to use pepper spray. Amidst all this chaos, a woman in a blazer and a polka dot dress stood in front of an armed immigration vehicle, becoming a center of attention online and offline.
This NYC woman who stood up to ICE has become a LEGEND overnight and images of her are being reported in newspapers ACROSS THE WORLD. BUT in media outlets across America, it’s almost crickets. The U.S. media is censoring and ignoring a rising tide of resistance against ICE. pic.twitter.com/HfC31bxgOb
— JJAReyes (@Blade_theDJ) October 23, 2025
New Yorkers are impressed by the woman’s bravery as she stood up to ICE agents. One X user commented on the viral video, “Proving that heroes don’t wear capes. They wear polka dot dresses.” Another one added, “Love her!” The third one chimed in, “We do need to come together against these forces of pure evil ICE MAGA… these violent extremists have to be stopped.”
However, standing up to federal agents can be seen as a threat and may end up in arrest and legal trouble. Many people pointed that out. One person remarked, “So, fighting the authorities is cool now? Does this mean the right can do an armed revolt now?”
Another one-sided with the same theory, “ They should have arrested her for assault on a federal law enforcement agent doing his job. She should have been booked and allowed one phone call to her boss to tell him/her she would be late. The agents were too nice to her.”
Everywhere everyone was in awe of woman in polka dot dress.
People wanted to protect the woman in polka dot dress instead of getting arrested. One user commented, “No one found her. Protect her at all costs. We don’t see anything… but slay queen!” Another fan of the moment said, “Millennials; We wore business casual to work, the club, and to fight fascism.”
