Elmhurst Hospital Center — Center of Reported ICE Deployment
Dozens of unmarked vehicles and masked federal agents converged on the streets around Elmhurst Hospital in Queens on Thursday, in what a local coalition is calling one of the largest ICE operations the city has seen in roughly a year. Residents say the presence lasted more than 10 hours, sparking fear and confusion in a neighborhood where immigrants make up a majority of the population.
Conflicting Counts, One Long Day
According to QNS, the grassroots coalition Hands Off NYC said two dozen ICE vehicles were seen on streets around Elmhurst Hospital, one block south of Roosevelt Avenue, for more than 10 hours on Thursday, October 22, 2026. A separate account from the same coalition, published on Mary Ann Dimand’s Substack, put the number higher, saying more than 25 known ICE vehicles infiltrated East Elmhurst and surrounding neighborhoods for the same stretch of time. Hands Off NYC describes itself as a grassroots coalition of more than 250 labor unions, faith leaders and advocacy groups spanning New York City’s five boroughs.
Hands Off NYC called the deployment one of the largest ICE operations the city has faced since the Canal Street crackdowns in fall 2025, per the same Substack account. The coalition says it has trained more than 10,000 New Yorkers over the past year to know their rights and recognize ICE activity in their neighborhoods.
Allegations of Reckless Driving and Threats
Rebecca Rodriguez, speaking for the coalition, alleged that agents ran neighbors with their cars, repeatedly threatened to use pepper spray on people documenting the operation, and drove the wrong way down one-way residential streets at double or triple the posted speed limit, according to the Substack post. New York law classifies reckless driving as a misdemeanor, according to state statute…