ICE Raids In NJ: What's Changed, What To Know

NEW JERSEY — The past week has seen U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents active in multiple New Jersey communities, as President Donald Trump's administration has cleared the way for increased deportations.

ICE conducted a raid — which they refer to as a "targeted enforcement operation" — in the Garden State's largest city last week, making several arrests and interrogating people at a seafood distributor in Newark's Ironbound neighborhood.

Local officials and advocates are urging immigrant residents to be aware of their rights if ICE comes to their front door or their workplace, and decrying what they say are "unlawful" tactics.

New enforcement policies, priorities

As part of his campaign platform, Trump vowed to immediately launch a nationwide immigration crackdown as soon as he was elected. His administration didn’t waste any time making its first moves. On his first day in office, the White House announced a sweeping wave of presidential actions and executive orders – including several involving immigration.

“Our southern border is overrun by cartels, criminal gangs, known terrorists, human traffickers, smugglers, unvetted military-age males from foreign adversaries, and illicit narcotics that harm Americans, including America,” Trump declared.

While Trump has vowed a campaign of mass deportations, his White House border czar has repeatedly said that they will be targeted operations focused initially on specific people who have committed crimes.

On Friday, the Trump administration said it was expanding the use of “expedited removal” authority, giving enforcement agencies the ability to deport people without requiring them to appear before an immigration judge.

Trump also lifted longtime rules restricting immigration enforcement near schools, hospitals, and churches.

There have not been any confirmed reports of ICE agents coming into New Jersey schools or hospitals as of Wednesday morning. However, rumors of arrests and news reports or social media posts about the presence of agents sparked worries in communities across the state, and around the country.

Some rights groups also launched plans to protect immigrants in the event of arrests at schools or workplaces. Advocacy group Make The Road New Jersey is encouraging immigrants to download and print a "Know Your Rights" card to carry with them. The New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice (NJAIJ) has also launched a "Know Your Rights" outreach campaign, with trainings across the state.

People arrested and detained do have legal rights under the Constitution, even if they entered the country illegally — including the right to due process and the right against unreasonable searches and seizures.

The NJ Department of Education also added a page to its website with suggested protocols for schools, if an ICE agent seeks to come onto school grounds or access district records.

Lawrence Township Public Schools will also establish a committee to develop a comprehensive plan "to address immigration challenges with care and compassion," Superintendent Robyn Klim said on Tuesday.

"By law, every child has the right to a public education, and we uphold this essential principle," she said. "If the national dialogue around immigration enforcement brings uncertainty or fear, we are here to help."

An estimated 733,000 school-aged children are in the U.S. illegally, including 31,000 in New Jersey, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Many more have U.S. citizenship but have parents who are undocumented.

ICE activity in New Jersey

Police in Asbury Park and Neptune confirmed that agents were conducting operations there over the weekend, but were not able to confirm any detentions or arrests.

The mayor of Paterson also said ICE agents were active at two different businesses on Sunday, prompting panic among the immigrant community there.

“We’re receiving reports that people are not going to work, that children are not going to school, that people are even reluctant to go and visit their doctors," he said.

Mayors in some other cities are affirming their support for their immigrant residents and telling federal authorities that they must follow the rule of law. Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla also said Friday if immigration agents conduct raids in that town, the police won't comply without a warrant.

"Our priority remains in ensuring the safety, dignity, and well-being of all our residents, regardless of their immigration status," Bhalla said.

Tensions have been high in Essex County after last week's ICE raid in Newark, which Mayor Ras Baraka claimed was conducted without a warrant.

The mayor accused ICE agents of violating the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees the right against unreasonable searches and seizures.

“Newark will not stand by idly while people are being unlawfully terrorized,” he said.

Ana Maria Hill, the New Jersey state director for 32BJ SEIU – the largest property service workers union in the country – said raids on workplaces are “cruel and destabilizing.”

“Hardworking people shouldn't have to fear making a living for their families – and children shouldn’t have to fear that their parents aren’t going to come home from work,” Hill said.

On the flip side of the coin, Trump’s pledge to carry out one of the largest deportation crackdowns in modern history has seen support from elected officials such as U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew (NJ-2), who chaired the president’s New Jersey campaign last year.

Last week, Van Drew announced that a bill he authored – the Detain and Deport Illegal Aliens Who Assault Cops Act – was included in the final passage of the Laken Riley Act, a new federal law that requires undocumented immigrants who are arrested for theft or violent crimes to be held in jail while their trials take place.

“The message is clear: if you are an illegal immigrant who assaults the officers who keep us safe, you will be immediately detained and you will be deported,” the congressman wrote, adding that under Trump’s leadership, “we are finally cleaning up the mess created by the Biden administration’s reckless open-border policies.”

Where are ICE detainees taken?

ICE holds detainees at the 300-bed Elizabeth Contract Detention Facility in Union County after they are arrested.

Under a 2021 state law, all prisons in New Jersey – public or private – are banned from making new contracts with ICE to hold federal detainees. Prisons also can’t expand or renew old agreements.

But since then, both CoreCivic and GEO Group have challenged the law in court, and a judge ruled in 2023 that CoreCivic could keep its jail in Elizabeth open.

ICE and private prison companies are reportedly seeking to add more detention space in New Jersey, despite the state’s ban.

Related articles:

• ICE Immigration Raid Shocks New Jersey (5 Things To Know)
• NJ Senator Cautions Against ‘False Hope’ Amid ICE Crackdowns
• Man Arrested In Newark ICE Raid Isn’t A Criminal, Cousin Says: Report
• ICE Agents 'Conducted Operations' In Asbury Park, Neptune Township
• 'People Are Panicking': Mayor Addresses Reports Of ICE Agents In Paterson
• ICE Raid Impacts Addressed By Lawrence Schools
• NJ Hospitals Won't Turn Away Patients Due To Immigration Status
• If ICE Comes To School: NJ Issues Guidelines For Educators, Staff
• NJ Immigrants Need More Protection From Trump, Activists Tell Governor

Patch's Eric Kiefer contributed to this report.

This article contains reporting by the Associated Press.