Illegal ICE raid sparks terror in New Jersey: “Everyone is scared”

In Newark, New Jersey, federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are under fire for conducting what officials are calling an illegal raid. According to Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, ICE agents unlawfully entered Ocean Seafood Depot, a local seafood wholesaler, without a warrant. Once inside, they arrested three undocumented workers and detained several U.S. citizens for questioning.

Mayor Baraka expressed outrage at the tactics used during the raid, describing the treatment of workers as humiliating and unconstitutional. “People were fingerprinted, pictures of their IDs and face were taken there,” he said angrily. “One person showed their military veteran identification and was still questioned anyway,” said Baraka adding that the person suffered the “indignity of having the legitimacy of his service documentation questioned.”

ICE’s actions: a constitutional violation

ICE confirmed conducting what it called a “targeted enforcement operation at a worksite” in Newark last Thursday but provided no further details, citing an ongoing investigation. However, Mayor Baraka insists that the agents’ actions blatantly disregarded the U.S. Constitution.

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“The problem with it is that ICE went in there without a warrant. And we can disagree on politics, you can disagree with me about the role immigrants play in the economy of our community,” the mayor said. “We can disagree about whether you support mass deportation or not. But what we must agree on is that the thing that separates this country from many other countries around the world is the Constitution of the United States,” he added.

The raid left the community in shock. One witness told Telemundo, “Everyone is scared because we don’t know if this is normal.”

Nationwide arrests surge

Thursday’s raid was part of a broader escalation in immigration enforcement under the Trump administration. ICE confirmed 538 arrests nationwide on the same day, doubling the agency’s daily average. Sanctuary cities like Newark have become primary targets, with officials warning of increased raids in the weeks to come.

Tom Homan, the Trump administration’s border czar, made the government’s position clear shortly after Trump’s inauguration on January 20. He said that new administration’s deportation program would take place nationwide. “What we’re saying to ICE is that you will enforce immigration law without apologies.”

The Border Czar said that law enforcement would concentrate on “the worst, first” going after those that are “public safety threats.” However, no one is “off the table” he warned. “If you’re here illegally, you have a problem.”

Original article written by Daniela Barrera, translated with the assistance of AI and edited by Greg Heilman.

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