Immigration enforcement action at Newark business sparks questions
Enforcement officers detained citizens at the business, according to New Jersey political leaders.
New Jersey officials are raising questions after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers raided a Newark business on Thursday just days into President Donald Trump's second administration.
Enforcement officers detained both citizens and non-citizens, said Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and New Jersey Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, both of whom are Democrats. ICE did not enter the business with a judicial warrant, and one of those detained was also a veteran, they said.
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. NJ.com reported the agency confirmed that the raid had taken place and “acknowledged” that U.S. citizens may have been detained.
The raid occurred at a seafood distributor, Univision reported. The action comes days after Trump issued a series of executive orders and directives aimed at stepping up immigration enforcement.
Officials did not say how many people were detained.
“Newark will not stand by idly while people are being unlawfully terrorized,” Baraka said in a statement.
Amy Torres, executive director of nonprofit New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, said she arrived at the Newark business shortly after ICE had left the scene. She said fewer than 15 workers were left in the building, which houses a “large-scale employer,” and many decided to go home for the day.
ICE officers entered without announcement, and it remains unclear why they questioned and arrested those who were taken into custody, Torres said.
It is also unclear if Thursday’s action was related to any of the White House's new guidance on enforcement. ICE routinely conducts hundreds of enforcement actions throughout the region each year.
Torres said there were “collateral arrests" of people who were swept up in the enforcement action even though they did not appear to be the original targets. Such arrests were routine during Trump’s first term and less so during Biden’s presidency, she said.
The New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice has had a 170% increase in requests for know-your-rights trainings since Trump won election in November, according to Torres.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.