ICE Raid At NJ Seafood Business Sparks Worries From Immigration Advocates

This article was updated on Nov. 20

NEWARK, NJ — An ICE raid at a wholesale seafood distributor in New Jersey ended with 13 arrests on Wednesday, sparking concern from local immigration advocates.

Dozens of masked law enforcement officers gathered at the corner of Adams and Delancy streets near Ocean Seafood Depot in Newark, the site of a high-profile immigration raid that took place earlier this year.

Advocacy group Cosecha New Jersey shared video taken at the scene, calling the situation an “active raid.” Watch footage below or view it online here.

ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark said it worked in coordination with federal partners to carry out a court-authorized search warrant as part of an active criminal investigation involving labor operations at Ocean Seafood.

“Given the ongoing nature of this matter, no additional information can be provided at this time,” a spokesperson told Patch on Wednesday.

The FBI-Newark office confirmed that its agents were at the scene “assisting our law enforcement partners at Homeland Security Investigations.”

On Thursday, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson provided an update on the raid, which involved a search warrant related to a criminal investigation.

ICE arrested a total of 13 “illegal aliens" who are employed at the business, authorities said.

“Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to protect public safety, national security, and economic stability while rescuing individuals who may be victims of labor trafficking or exploitation,” DHS spokespeople said.

Federal immigration authorities previously conducted a raid at Ocean Seafood Depot in January. Several undocumented residents were detained and arrested. Federal immigration agents also detained multiple U.S. citizens, fingerprinting them and taking photos of their faces and IDs. They included a U.S. military veteran who showed the officers his military identification – but was detained and questioned anyway.

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U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), who represents Newark and other municipalities, accused the Trump administration of “using fear as a tool” in the latest raid.

“They have been doing so since Jan. 23 when they raided this same Newark market,” McIver said. “We owe it to our neighbors to stand up for them.”

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