
ICE agents reject U.S. military ID in NJ workplace raid, mayor says
🚨ICE said it conducted a 'targeted enforcement operation at a worksite' in Newark
🚨The owner of Ocean Seafood Depot said agents took 3 workers into custody
🚨The veterans card of a worker was not accepted as ID, the owner said
NEWARK — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided a business that led to several workers being taken into custody on Thursday.
Mayor Ras Baraka said agents raided a "local establishment" without a warrant. One of the detainees was a "U.S. military veteran who suffered the indignity of having the legitimacy of his military documentation questioned."
"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 said.
Baraka said he would hold a press conference about the raid "with partners ready and willing to defend and protect civil and human rights."
ICE acknowledged Baraka's claim in a statement to New Jersey 101.5. Details about the raid including the number of people detained were not disclosed.
"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. This is an active investigation and, per ICE policy, we cannot discuss ongoing investigations," the spokesman said.
ICE raids nationwide
The raid comes as the Trump administration announced Tuesday it would allow federal immigration agencies to make arrests at schools, churches and hospitals, ending a policy that had been in effect since 2011.
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said: "Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest.”
ICE said it made 538 arrests and detained 373 since Trump's inauguration on Monday but did not disclose where those arrests were made. Fox News reported arrests were made in Massachusetts, llinois, Utah, California, Minnesota, New York, Florida and Maryland.
ALSO READ: Immigration raid survival guides distributed to NJ schools, teachers
Universal political outrage
Luis Janota, the owner of Ocean Seafood Depot in Newark's Ironbound section, told CBS New York a dozen agents came to his business on Adams Street asking for "documentation" for his workers. Three workers who could not present it were taken into custody, Janota said.
The manager showed his veterans card but it was not accepted, Janota told CBS New York.
The agents did not present a warrant although Janota said he did not ask for one.
Outrage was near universal from Democrats. U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J. 10th District, who represents Newark in Congress, said her office has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to ask why agents entered the business "without warrant and without justification."
"Already, Trump’s attacks on immigrant communities are hitting home and we will not back down," she said. "I am in contact with Mayor Baraka, and other local and federal officials as more unfolds. We will always fight for the dignity and rights of everyone in our district and across the country.”
In a joint statement, U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim, said they are “deeply concerned” about the raid and are also looking for answers.
“Actions like this one sow fear in all of our communities — and our broken immigration system requires solutions, not fear tactics," the Democratic senators said.
ALSO READ: Where is drone report from Trump? NJ mayor not worried
'Jackbooted thugs'
U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J. 12th District, denounced the raid by "jackbooted thugs," calling it a "callous disregard for the laws of New Jersey, the rights of our residents, and the Constitution of the United States.”
"After pardoning violent insurrectionists, Trump orders ICE agents to detain and harass innocent people, including a veteran who served our country. This is the reality of Trump’s reign of terror, but it’s not the America generations have fought for," Watson Coleman said.
Gov. Phil Murphy has not issued a statement.
The immigrant advocacy group Make the Road New Jersey called ICE a "rogue group that routinely violates the constitution and our civil rights — citizens and non-citizens alike."
"New Jersey must pass the Immigrant Trust Act to prevent ICE from using our state resources to detain and deport," the group said.
ALSO READ: $5 million unclaimed - see when your NJ Lottery ticket expires
(Includes material Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom
FBI's Top 5 Most Wanted violent fugitives in NJ
Gallery Credit: Eric Scott
Inventions you probably didn't know are New Jersey born
Gallery Credit: Judi Franco
Where the most drunk drivers are arrested in New Jersey
Gallery Credit: Rick Rickman
More From New Jersey 101.5 FM








