Man Separated From Child By Federal Agents In Jersey City, Say 2 Councilmen

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Two Jersey City council members have raised concern about an incident last week in which — they say — federal agents detained a father in front of his child.

Council members James Solomon and Yousef Saleh criticized the handling of the incident, which they say occurred Thursday morning in the Heights neighborhood, just west of Hoboken.

“Watching [agents] traumatize a child while detaining her father this morning in our city was heartbreaking and enraging,” said Councilman James Solomon, who is running for mayor.

Solomon said that agents from the federal Department of Homeland Security detained the man near St. Paul's Avenue and Concord Street. The councilman cited a video posted by HudPost, which posts videos of public safety incidents in Hudson County.

Councilman Yousef Saleh said, "We learned today that federal immigration officers arrested a parent while a child was still in the vehicle, just a stone's throw from Christ Hospital. While we are still gathering information to support this family, I want every resident of Ward D to know that immigrants are welcome here."

Solomon's office was asked if he had more confirmation than the video. A spokesperson said they are reaching out to federal officials for more details.

Assembly candidate Katie Brennan said she was glad that neighbors tried to help when they saw the distressed child.

"I’ve also been reflecting on how our community responded, and how proud I am of Jersey City and everyone stepping up to help," she said. "The neighbors who stayed at the scene and demanded answers, the community organizations providing support, and the local officials sounding the alarm and connecting the family to legal representation. I’ll share more information on what happened and how to support the family once I have it. In the meantime, please get to know your neighbors if you don’t already."

'Inject Fear'

In the past, false rumors have spread around Hudson County about federal immigration agents being in the area. But immigration raids have been conducted in the area as well. READ MORE: ICE Arrests 16 In Raid Of Warehouse In North Jersey

Patch reached out to Jersey City public safety spokesperson Kim Wallace-Scalcione on Thursday, as well as the Department of Homeland Security, for more information. This story will be updated if information is received.

In a story about the incident, WPIX quoted a neighbor as saying that she was mainly concerned because the girl was left alone in the car. She said that officers told her the situation was more complicated than she knew.

Solomon told the media that the incident happened while people were heading to school, and that he didn't want it to "inject fear" in the neighborhood.

Various political groups across the country have protested recent actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement that involved arresting people at their immigration court hearings, in front of their children.

RELATED: ICE Agents In Unmarked Cars Seize 2 People In Maplewood, Mayor Says