Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents carried out a workplace raid in Newark, New Jersey Thursday—criticized by the city’s mayor Ras Baraka, who said the agents detained several people, including U.S. citizens—in an incident that comes as the Trump administration has vowed to go after so-called sanctuary cities.
Key Facts
- In a statement, Baraka said ICE agents raided a “local establishment” in Newark without a warrant and detained “undocumented residents as well as citizens.”
- The mayor said one of the detainees was a U.S. military veteran, “who suffered the indignity of having the legitimacy of his military documentation questioned.”
- ICE confirmed it had carried out a “targeted enforcement operation at a worksite…in Newark” in a statement to several news outlets.
- The agency’s statement added that it may encounter U.S. citizens while conducting its operations and “may request identification to establish an individual’s identity as was the case…in Newark.”
- In an update on X, the agency said it had made 538 arrests and lodged 373 detainees on Thursday, but did not specify how many of them were from the Newark raid.
- CBS News reported that “Ocean Seafood Depot” was the business targeted in the raid and its owner said three people were taken into custody.
What Have Democratic Lawmakers Said About The Raid?
The two Democratic U.S. Senators from New Jersey, Cory Booker and Andy Kim, issued a joint statement on the raid, saying they were “deeply concerned” and their offices have reached out to the Department of Homeland Security to “demand answers.” The statement added: “Actions like this one sow fear in all of our communities and our broken immigration system requires solutions, not fear tactics.” Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., whose Congressional district includes Newark, also condemned the raid, saying: “Already, Trump’s attacks on immigrant communities are hitting home and we will not back down…We will always fight for the dignity and rights of everyone in our district and across the country.”
What Do We Know About Sanctuary Cities?
Newark is one of several Sanctuary cities in the U.S. where local officials have passed laws to limit their cooperation with the federal government on matters of immigration enforcement. During President Donald Trump’s first term, Baraka signed an executive order to make Newark a sanctuary city. Earlier this week, Trump’s border czar Tom Homan criticized sanctuary cities in a CNN interview and said: “There’s going to be more collateral arrests in sanctuary cities because they forced us to go into the community and find the guy we’re looking for.” He added that ICE will go into neighborhoods to find undocumented migrants convicted of crimes and warned that others who are with him, “that don’t have a criminal conviction and are in the country illegally. They will be arrested too.”
