A raid conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs officials in Princeton on July 10 has drawn swift condemnation from municipal and federal elected officials.
A spokesman for the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) division of ICE confirmed the raid that sought three individuals for removal, according to published reports on Planet Princeton.
One of the targeted individuals was taken into custody by agents, while another arrest was blocked by persons who interfered with the process, published reports said.
The ERO manages all aspects of the immigration enforcement process, including the identification, arrest, detention and removal of noncitizens who are subject to removal or are unlawfully present in the United States, according to its website at www.ice/gov/about-ice/ero.
The ERO division of ICE seeks to protect the United States by removing those who would undermine the safety of communities and the integrity of immigration laws, the ICE website said.
Nevertheless, ICE’s actions have left the Princeton community deeply troubled, Princeton Mayor Mark Freda and Princeton Council said in a statement. The federal actions, which were conducted without prior notice or explanation, contradict the town’s core values of respect and dignity for all, officials said.
The ICE agents operate under federal jurisdiction, which supersedes the Princeton Police Department’s authority, Princeton officials said, which means the Princeton Police Department cannot interfere with ICE’s activities.
“However, we are actively reaching out to the ICE field office to determine what transpired,” Freda and the Princeton Council said in the statement. “We want to emphasize that our police department was not involved in the arrests, nor provided any assistance.”
Princeton officials added that the town’s immigrant community is both welcome and valued.
U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, who represents the 12th Congressional District, also weighed in on the raid.
Watson Coleman, who is a Democrat, said she was horrified to learn of the ICE raids by agents who drove into Princeton and did not identify themselves as ICE agents. They stopped Hispanic and Latino residents at random to interrogate them and demand documentation, she said.
“This kind of conduct has absolutely no place in our community or our country,” Watson Coleman said in a statement. “I am working to get more information from federal agencies involved in order to fully understand what occurred.
“Let me say this as clearly as I can – we value our immigrant communities. We welcome immigrants. We are a nation of immigrants. Any actions of intimidation are unacceptable and despicable, and we will get to the bottom of it.”
