Surveillance video shows agents at a seafood warehouse in Newark where several people were detained — even a U.S. military veteran was questioned. NBC New York’s Sarah Wallace reports.
An operation carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents has sparked concern and heightened anxiety among some communities in Newark, as outraged local officials have pledged to investigate the event and to protect those who they believe should be shielded under the law.
An operation by ICE — which Mayor Ras Baraka has called a "raid" — went down Thursday at Ocean Seafood Depot on Adams Street in the Ironbound section, according to the mayor's office. A witness said they saw agents at the location at the time. Security camera video showed ICE agents escort a man from the warehouse and put him in the back of an unmarked car parked outside.
"[ICE] agents raided a local establishment in the City of Newark, detaining undocumented residents as well as citizens, without producing a warrant," Mayor Baraka said in a statement. "Newark will not stand by idly while people are being unlawfully terrorized."
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Multiple people were allegedly detained in Thursday's operation, including U.S. citizens, according to the mayor, but it was unclear if there were any arrests or anyone was taken into custody. Baraka noted that one of those who was detained is a U.S. veteran "who suffered the indignity of having the legitimacy of his military documentation questioned."
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As the ICE agents were leaving on Thursday, the executive director of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice (NJAIJ) arrived. She said during a Friday press conference that witnesses described the agents as "heavily armed" and blocked the entrance while "scrambling down, banging down bathroom doors to make sure no one was hiding." Witnesses told her the officers did not have a list of names or anything they were working off of.
The mayor called the operation "egregious" and said it violated the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution, which clarifies "the right of the people be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures."
During the press conference, a defiant Baraka vowed to defend his city, even under threat of prosecution.
"They threaten democracy, they threaten us individually, they say they're going to arrest us if we uphold people's rights. I'm not afraid of that. If he thinks that we're just going to go to jail quietly, he's got another thing coming," he said.
In a statement Thursday, ICE said that agents "may encounter U.S. citizens while conducting field work and may request identification to establish an individual’s identity as was the case during a targeted enforcement operation at a worksite."
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The spokesperson said it was part of an active investigation, and "per ICE policy, we cannot discuss ongoing investigations."
A day after the operation, it was reported that ICE agents had been spotted Friday in other communities around Newark. But the NJAIJ said there were no raids they had been made aware of, nor had any arrests been reported.
The state attorney general's office said it was still gathering information on Thursday's operation but said "no local or state law enforcement was involved."
“As I have said many times, we regularly work with our federal partners to remove violent criminals from our communities and we will continue to do so," New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in a statement. "However, President Trump’s stated desire to deport millions of people clearly goes beyond removing dangerous criminals. And some of the tactics could very well make us less safe, for instance, by making people in our communities fearful of coming forward and reporting crimes.”
Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver, whose district includes part of Newark, said her office was in contact with the Department of Homeland Security "to get answers on exactly what happened, and how it was allowed that ICE came in—without warrant and without justification—to detain not only immigrants, but citizens and even a veteran of our nation’s military."
"I want to make it clear to Trump and his administration: We mean business here in New Jersey and will not tolerate his hateful policies. We will fight back together and win," said Rep. McIver.
In a joint statement, New Jersey's senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim said they were "concerned" about the operation, saying such events "sow fear in all of our communities — and our broken immigration system requires solutions, not fear tactics."
Actions by ICE agents were expected to target major sanctuary cities immediately after President Donald Trump’s inauguration. Within their first few days in office, the administration began setting groundwork for further immigration actions.
The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday it was ending a policy that restricted ICE agents’ ability to arrest undocumented people at or near so-called sensitive locations, including houses of worship, schools and hospitals.
Julia Ainsley and Didi Martinez of NBC News contributed to this report.