As we look forward to 2026, QNS is looking back at the top stories throughout 2025.
Below are the top stories from the month of January, which include Queens residents talking trash, an urgent push to educate undocumented immigrants of their rights during ICE raids, illegal fruit vendors facing enforcement sweeps, and the city’s effort to transform Roosevelt Avenue.
Avoid fines: New NYC trash container rules now enforced
At the start of the new year, the city’s Department of Sanitation began imposing fines on residents who fail to place their curbside trash in secure containers. Beginning Jan. 2, failure to use a 55-gallon or less bin with a secure lid for trash set out resulted in fines of $50 for a first offense, $100 for a second offense, and $200 for third and subsequent offenses.
Beginning in June 2026, all property owners will be required to purchase the official NYC Bin directly from the city. City agencies, nonprofits, houses of worship, and professional offices in residential buildings that receive DSNY collections are also required to use NYC Bins. Building managers must ensure sufficient bins to store all the trash residents produce in their buildings.
ICE raids imminent: Queens advocates launch urgent push to educate undocumented immigrants
As Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids occurred around the city with increasing frequency in mid-January, elected officials and immigrant advocacy organizations in Queens are urging undocumented immigrants to familiarize themselves with their rights.
Corona-based Make the Road New York began holding regular “Know Your Rights” workshops for local communities since last November’s election. These presentations aim to empower undocumented residents by educating them on their constitutional rights and how to respond in the event of an ICE raid. Make the Road is urging any individuals experiencing an ICE raid to “plead the fifth and lawyer up immediately.”
The organization also advises undocumented immigrants to avoid answering knocks on the door, stating that opening the door to ICE agents gives them implied consent to enter their homes.
Illegal fruit vendors face enforcement sweeps in Queens led by Senator Addabbo and DSNY
State Sen. Joseph Addabbo has been working closely with the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) to address the growing problem of unlicensed fruit vending in his district, which has become a significant concern for local residents.
The illegal vendors have created disturbances in the community by blocking sidewalks, crosswalks, and bus stops while selling unregulated goods. Following constituents’ complaints about the negative impact of these operations, Addabbo, in collaboration with community leaders and governmental agencies, sent a formal letter to then DSNY Commissioner Jessica Tisch requesting immediate action.
In response, the DSNY has been swift in taking action, issuing violations, and confiscating the illegal produce. The targeted areas for the crackdown have included high-traffic locations such as Liberty Avenue and Lefferts Boulevard, Jamaica Avenue/Forest Parkway, and the stretch from Liberty Avenue and Lefferts Boulevard to 112th Street.
‘We’ll stand up for all New Yorkers’: Mayor addresses ICE raids and Roosevelt Ave transformation at Corona town hall
Mayor Eric Adams hosted a town hall in Corona hearing concerns about a number of local issues, including trash pile-ups on Roosevelt Avenue and Queens Boulevard and community fears regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in the local area. Adams told local residents that his administration would stand up for all New Yorkers, both documented and undocumented, stating that he plans to speak to the Trump administration about its plans to carry out raids in New York City.
Responding to concerns that his administration would collaborate with ICE by allowing agents to carry out raids in New York schools, Adams said New York residents should continue to go about their daily lives.
“We are very clear, children should go to school,” Adams said. “Those who need healthcare should go to hospitals. Those who are involved in any type of interaction where they’re victims of a crime, they should speak to the law enforcement agencies. We have maintained that over and over again.”
