CANAL STREET VENDORS

Canal Street in Lower Manhattan, New York, has long been a place where many Senegalese immigrants make a living through informal street vending.

According to the Immigration Research Initiative, 55 percent of street vendors working in Manhattan were born in Senegal.

Link to the data

Betty

Betty

Mouhamed

Khadim

Ass bamba

Canal street, NEW YORK, March 8, 2025
Canal street, NEW YORK, October 2025
NEW YORK, March 7, 2026 — Senegalese street vendors arrange merchandise for sale in front of a souvenir shop on Canal Street.
Canal Street, Manhattan — A Senegalese street vendor speaks with passers-by while selling counterfeit sunglasses on Canal Street in Manhattan on Sunday, November 2, 2025. Senegalese vendors say a single pair of sunglasses can bring about $10 in gross
Canal street, NEW YORK, March 2025
Canal street, NEW YORK, November 2025 — Street vendors line Canal Street.
Canal street, NEW YORK, October 2024 — ouleye rests after finishing a dreadlock styling service for a vendor.
Canal street, New York, March 2026 — A senegalese street vendor arrange merchandise on Canal Street.
Canal street, NEW YORK, November 2025 — Noreyni (a pseudonym) packs up his goods after hearing a police siren and warnings from fellow vendors that officers were approaching.
West 116th Street in Harlem, March 5, 2025 — New York Police Department officers confiscate shoes and clothing from Seck, a Senegalese immigrant, for unlicensed street vending.
Canal Street, Manhattan — A Senegalese street vendor carries nearly empty rolling racks, usually loaded with bags, on Canal Street in Manhattan on Thursday, November 13, 2025. Many vendors keep their goods packed because of a heavier law enforcement
Canal Street, October 24, 2025 — Noreyni (a pseudonym) inside a storage room after the long day of street vending.
Canal Street, October 24, 2025 — Noreyni (a pseudonym) inside a storage room after the long day of street vending.
CONEY ISLAND, New York, November 2025 — Noreyni (a pseudonym) said that fear of police and ICE on Canal Street, combined with a drop in customers, has pushed him to look for another place to run his business.