Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka said that U.S. citizens were among those detained in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid at a restaurant within the city. Baraka accused ICE of not having a proper warrant to execute the raid.
"(ICE) went in the back of the establishment," he said. "We believe that there were three people who they say were undocumented that they detained, but they also detained folks that were, in fact, citizens of this country. One person showed military veteran identification and was still questioned anyway."
The raids occurred as the Trump administration has touted stepped-up immigration enforcement since President Donald Trump took office earlier this week. On Friday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted a photo of a military airplane with the caption, “Deportation flights have begun. President Trump is sending a strong and clear message to the entire world: if you illegally enter the United States of America, you will face severe consequences.”
RELATED STORY | Federal judge temporarily blocks executive order on birthright citizenship
It is unclear if the cadence of deportations is higher now than under President Joe Biden. According to ICE’s most recent available data, it conducted 154,204 arrests and 81,547 removals in 2022.
Although arrests and removals were daily occurrences during the Biden administration, President Trump has made immigration enforcement a key theme of his presidency.
RELATED STORY | What are red cards? The 'unprecedented demand' for this tool helping immigrants
“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,” Baraka said.
Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim released a joint statement saying they were "deeply concerned" by the raids and added "actions like this one sow fear in all of our communities."
The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for proposals to fast-track deportations. President Trump signed an executive order that requires noncitizens to prove they have been in the U.S. for at least two years to avoid deportation.
RELATED STORY | Republicans unite to codify Trump's executive order on birthright citizenship
Baraka said that after spreading the news of the raid, he received emails and threats.
"It's a slippery scope when we think it's okay to spin the Constitution of the United States in order to make a political point," he said. "They say in a very cavalier way, 'These things happen.' There will be some citizens who are gonna ask for their ID and their paperwork. My response to that is, how do you determine who's undocumented and who's a criminal? Just by looking at them?
