ICE Arrests 16 In Raid Of Warehouse In North Jersey

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — Sixteen people were arrested last week during a raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement of a warehouse in North Bergen, officials announced.

The "unnannounced inspection" of the warehouse — which is bonded to work with U.S. Customs and Border Protection to store shipments from the Port of New York/Newark — led to the discovery of workers who were in the United States illegally, said ICE's Newark office on Wednesday.

The raid was meant to "ensure individuals working in government-regulated facilities were lawfully present and permitted to work in the United States," the agency said in a release.

ICE and CBP worked alongside the FBI Newark Field Office, New Jersey Drug Enforcement Agency, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, they said.

ICE said the operation was also conducted to determine whether imported merchandise was properly secured.

"Unannounced inspections serve to identify unauthorized manipulations of commercial merchandise within bonded areas, noncompliance with customs regulations,and unauthorized access by employees who lack the authority to access the bonded areas," noted the agency.

'Bad Actors And Bad Things'

ICE Homeland Security Investigations Newark Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel said, “This operation underscores HSI’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding the integrity of our trade infrastructure and, in turn, the well-being of the public at-large."

CBP Acting Port Director Jeffrey Greene said the process "allows us to be laser focused on our broader enforcement efforts — keeping bad actors and bad things from harming our country.”

Under federal law, employers are required to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all individuals they hire, and to document that information using the Employment Eligibility Verification Form I-9.

Patch has reached out for more information on the suspects and where they are being detained, and will update this story when more information is available.