New Jersey Mayor Ras Baraka slams U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for executing a raid in a seafood store in Newark.
According to reports, the raid took place after Trump signed an executive order on his first day as president allowing federal immigration authorities to arrest people in “sensitive locations.” During the raid, officers arrest a U.S. military veteran as well as many others.
Luis Janota, the store owner recalls about 10 to 12 ICE agents entering the store after they allegedly received complaints and started looking for documentation, however, they didn’t ask for anyone specific.
“I was confused; they took three people who did not have any documentation on them,” Janota said. “I asked them [the agents] what documentation they were looking for, and they said it was a license or a passport. I thought, who walks around with a passport?”
Mayor Baraka released a statement statement on Thursday condemning the raids. “Today, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raided a local establishment in the City of Newark, detaining undocumented residents as well as citizens, without producing a warrant. One of the detainees is a U.S. military veteran who suffered the indignity of having the legitimacy of his military documentation questioned. This egregious act is in plain violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees ‘the right of the people be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures.”
He continued, “Newark will not stand by idly while people are being unlawfully terrorized. I will be holding a press conference in alliance with partners ready and willing to defend and protect civil and human rights. Details to come.”
A spokesperson for ICE said, “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement may encounter U.S. citizens while conducting fieldwork and may request identification to establish an individual’s identity as was the case during a targeted enforcement operation at a work site on Jan. 23 in Newark, New Jersey. This is an active investigation and per ICE policy, we cannot discuss ongoing investigations.”
Janota also said that he believes that Hispanic workers were being targeted when they were asked for their papers.“They did not ask me for documentation for my American workers, Portuguese workers, or white workers,” he said.
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