Newark business “raided” by ICE agents, mayor says, multiple people detained

NEWARK, N.J. — The mayor of Newark, New Jersey, said federal Immigration agents “raided” a local business Thursday.

Mayor Ras Baraka said in a statement that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained multiple people, including United States citizens, a U.S. military veteran and undocumented individuals. According to Baraka, the agents did not produce a warrant.

“This egregious act is in plain violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution,” Baraka said in part in a statement. “Newark will not stand by idly while people are being unlawfully terrorized.”

Newark is considered a so-called “sanctuary city.”  

A spokesperson for ICE told CBS News New York in a statement late Thursday that it conducted a “targeted enforcement operation at a worksite today in Newark, New Jersey.” 

“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,” the statement read. “This is an active investigation and, per ICE policy, we cannot discuss ongoing investigations.”

The owner of Ocean Seafood Depot, located at Adams and Delancey streets, told CBS News New York that about one dozen ICE agents came in unannounced at around 11 a.m. Eastern Time, asking to see documentation of his employees. 

“They didn’t have a court order or, I mean, I didn’t even ask,” he said.

The owner said his manager tried to show his veteran’s card, but the agents did not accept it.  

“A couple of the guys couldn’t show their identification,” the owner said. “Twenty-six years in business, I never seen anything like this.”

The owner said three people were taken into custody.

Surveillance video showed what appears to be federal immigration agents taking a man into custody outside the fish market.

When asked whether the operation would deter his other employees from coming to work Friday, he responded, “Yes, exactly. That’s the question. That’s not really helping my business, obviously, or any business.”

In a joint statement late Thursday night, Democratic Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim of New Jersey said they were “deeply concerned about the news of an ICE raid in Newark today.” 

They said their offices have reached out to the Department of Homeland Security.

“Actions like this one sow fear in all of our communities — and our broken immigration system requires solutions, not fear tactics,” the statement read. 

Since taking office, President Trump had signed a slew of executive orders and his administration has enacted policies designed to target illegal immigration. They include efforts to end birthright citizenship, suspend the nation’s asylum system and deploy troops to the border.

Ali Bauman

Ali Bauman is a New York Emmy and Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist who has been a general assignment reporter for CBS News New York since spring 2016.