A New Jersey mayor and other leading Democrats have blasted an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid on a worksite which they say resulted in undocumented residents as well as a U.S. citizen being “detained.”
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka slammed the operation as an “egregious act” and a violation of the Fourth Amendment after agents reportedly swooped in to raid a business establishment “without producing a warrant.”
Baraka said that one of those detained is a U.S. military veteran who “suffered the indignity of having the legitimacy of his military documentation questioned.”
Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey, on Thursday, March 7, 2024. (Tanya Breen/USA TODAY NETWORK)
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“This egregious act is in plain violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees ‘the right of the people be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures….’” Baraka wrote in a statement.
“Newark will not stand by idly while people are being unlawfully terrorized,” Barak said, adding that he is “ready and willing to defend and protect civil and human rights.”
It is not clear if the U.S. citizen in the Newark case was taken into custody, with an ICE spokesperson telling Fox News that the U.S. citizen was asked to produce identification.
“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 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 today in Newark, New Jersey,” an ICE spokesperson told Fox News in relation to Thursday’s Newark operation. “This is an active investigation, and, per ICE policy, we cannot discuss ongoing investigations.”
An exterior view of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency headquarters. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
ICE raids have ramped up across the country this week as President Donald Trump looks to clamp down on illegal immigration, a key campaign promise. Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan has said ICE agents will focus on the “worst first, public safety threats first, but no one is off the table. If they’re in the country illegally, they got a problem.”
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New Jersey senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim joined Baraka in condemning the raid.
“We are deeply concerned about the news of an ICE raid in Newark today. Our offices have reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to demand answers,” the senators said in a joint statement.
“Actions like this one sow fear in all of our communities — and our broken immigration system requires solutions, not fear tactics. We will continue to work with Mayor Baraka and other local officials to gather more information to ensure all New Jerseyans are safe and their dignity and rights are protected.”
Baraka, a progressive Democrat, has been mayor of Newark since 2014 and is running for New Jersey governor this year. He has called for a “progressive overhaul” of the blue state and his campaign agenda includes reparations, sanctuary state laws, baby bonds, and a universal basic income.”
Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., also slammed the raid. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., also slammed the raid in a statement.
“Already, Trump’s attacks on immigrant communities are hitting home and we will not back down,” she said. “We will always fight for the dignity and rights of everyone in our district and across the country.”
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In the first days of the Trump administration, ICE has made more than 460 arrests of illegal immigrants, including those with criminal histories that include sexual assault, domestic violence and drugs and weapons crimes. Arrests took place across the U.S., including Illinois, Utah, California, Minnesota, New York, Florida and Maryland.
Agents arrested nationals from a slew of countries, including Afghanistan, Angola, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Senegal and Venezuela.
Fox News’ Bill Melugin, Stephen Sorace and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
