ICE makes shocking admission about Stafford stop — NJ Top News
Here's the stories you'll be talking about on the New Jersey 101.5 Morning Show on Monday:
🔗 Stafford ICE stop targeted man who had self-deported
✅ICE says the man it initially identified as its Stafford target had already self-deported
✅Agents stopped a van leaving the man's last known address
✅ICE says people who self-deport can receive travel assistance and seek legal reentry
STAFFORD — The individual ICE named as their suspect during a targeted stop was already out of the country, the agency admitted Thursday.
ICE initially named Friedrich Castillo-Ormeno of Peru as the person targeted during a stop on Route 72 in Stafford on Monday. However, in follow-up statements, ICE referred only to an unnamed "driver" who "weaponized" the van and struck an ICE agent. Eduardo Cruz Garcia, of Barnegat, was identified on Wednesday as the driver.
"ICE was conducting a targeted immigration enforcement operation at Castillo-Ormeno’s last known address. Officers observed an illegal alien who looked similar to the target get into a van that departed the residence," an ICE spokesperson said Thursday.
Castillo-Ormeno self-deported using the CBP Home app, according to ICE. It was the same information that someone who identified themselves as Castillo-Ormeno told New Jersey 101.5 in an email earlier in the week.
“We’re glad Castillo-Ormeno did what every illegal alien should do: self-deport. Illegal aliens can take control of their departure," the agency said.
Those who choose to self-deport are given $2,600 and a free flight back to their home country. They will also have the chance to come back to the United States following legal steps.
🔗 Biggest unanswered questions surrounding Stafford ICE incident
The exact circumstances surrounding what happened in Stafford Township when ICE agents stopped a van on Route 72 remain very unclear.
An ICE agent was injured as the driver of the van fled the scene. However, neither ICE nor the FBI, which is leading the investigation, addressed some lingering questions about Monday's incident in Stafford.
Who was the passenger in the van?
Robert Frazer, the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, did not disclose whether the passenger in the van during Monday's stop has been taken into custody or is connected to the original ICE operation.
Were shots fired?
Stafford police said in an earlier update that the injured ICE agent fired at the van as it left the scene, while federal officials said that the van strike had caused the injured officer's weapon to "discharge."
Frazer did not mention any gunfire in Tuesday's announcement or in the criminal complaint.
🔗 Nevermind! Feds cancel plans for ICE detention center in NJ
☑️ICE has reportedly canceled plans for an ICE detention center in Roxbury
☑️Critics said the site lacked the water, sewage and power needed for the facility
☑️Gov. Mikie Sherrill called it a 'big win' for New Jersey
The Department of Homeland Security has canceled plans for an ICE detention center in Morris County, according to the New York Times.
The agency under former Secretary Kristi Noem purchased seven warehouses around the country at a cost of $11 billion. The Times reports that seven of those locations, including the one along Route 46 in the Ledgewood section of Roxbury, will be given to other federal agencies or sold.
The agency told the Times that "heinous criminals, once arrested, should be removed at lightning speed, not housed on American soil at the taxpayer's expense."
The feds purchased the Route 46 warehouse in February for nearly $130 million.
The Roxbury plan was opposed by local Republican leaders despite conservative support for President Trump's immigration enforcement agenda.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Attorney General Jennifer Davenport called it a "big win" for public safety, the town and the state.
“DHS’s plans were always illegal: the Roxbury warehouse is a logistics center fit for packages, not thousands of people, and did nothing to make New Jersey safer. In fact, we told them it would have devastating impacts on the water and sewage systems, and compromise an environmentally sensitive area," Sherrill and Davenport said in a joint statement. "That’s why we joined the town of Roxbury in court and stopped this detention center from moving forward in the first place."
🔗 Abuse victims of 'monster' NJ teacher win millions
⚠️ Seven former students received settlements tied to abuse by a former Cumberland County teacher.
➡️ The Lawrence Township School District and its insurer have paid more than $3 million since 2015.
🔴 Two additional lawsuits from former students remain pending against the district.
LAWRENCE (Cumberland) — Seven students abused years ago by their teacher at a Cedarville school have won millions in court.
Derek Hildreth taught for 23 years at Myron L. Powell Elementary School in Cedarville, which serves fewer than 500 students from pre-K through 8th grade. He was a 7th and 8th-grade social studies teacher, a coach, and a student advisor. According to multiple lawsuits, prosecutors, and himself, Hildreth was also a child predator.
In 2013, Hildreth pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated sexual assault and one count of child endangerment. Then, in 2020, while he was in prison, another count of child endangerment was added to his rap sheet for an offense 10 years earlier.
Cumberland County prosecutors said he molested children in Cumberland, Burlington, Atlantic and Gloucester counties. During sentencing in Superior Court, Hildreth admitted that he "planned it from the beginning" to use his position for access to the boys, according to records obtained by TransparencyNJ.
“I failed, that I am a monster, and that I need to be, you know, sent away for help and therapy," Hildreth said.
🔗 Rep. Tom Kean, Jr, announces return to Congress
After missing 135 votes due to an undisclosed illness, Rep. Tom Kean, Jr, is now expected to return to Washington before the end of the month.
Kean's political advisor told NJ Globe the congressman will be back in the House on June 23. Three days of voting are scheduled before Congress takes a break for the Fourth of July holiday.
The 7th district congressman has previously said he is seeking a third term as the 7th district representative. Democrats have targeted the 7th as a district they believe they can flip in November.
While Kean has not disclosed the nature of the illness that has kept him from voting, he told the Globe's David Wildstein that he is nearing a full recovery and that his illness is not chronic and will not effect his cognitive ability.
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