ICE conducts raids in Princeton: “Everyone is terrified”
Several men in unmarked vehicles wearing vests with the words “police” on them came to Princeton early Wednesday morning and began questioning and rounding up undocumented immigrants.
Residents of Princeton reported that starting at about 4 a.m., Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers began knocking on doors, driving along streets, stopping Latino people riding to work on bicycles, and interrogating them.
Advocates for immigrant rights report that at least eight Princeton residents have been arrested so far as of 11:30 a.m. This number has not been confirmed by ICE.
Some residents confronted officers, who did not respond to their questions.
“Families are terrified even to go out to get food today,” said Claudia Lopez of Resistencia en Acción NJ, a nonprofit that defends immigrants’ rights in Princeton.
“People are beyond scared. There are ICE officers in seven vehicles going around Princeton searching,” Lopez said. “If they see men on bikes, they go after them. They ask them for documents and ask if they have papers and if they are legally here — things they are not supposed to do in a sanctuary city like Princeton. Children are crying, terrified they will be separated from their parents. It’s sad to watch this happen.”
The immigrant community is the backbone of Princeton’s workforce in restaurants and other businesses such as landscaping.
“Many of these people are people doing honest work making a living and sending money back to their families, working hard, and working in this heat and sun,” Lopez said. “They went to work today without knowing they were not coming back. They were swept away.”
Lopez added that ICE officers did not seem to have a court order and appeared to be getting out of cars randomly searching for people to round up. Immigrants talking to them didn’t realize who they were talking to because their vests only say “police.”
“When people who are undocumented answer their questions, they are arresting them and taking them away,” Lopez said.
Advocates for immigrants have contacted lawyers seeking help. In the meantime, immigrants are being warned to stay home and not go outside or go to work.
Lopez said one officer her group confronted told her he could not respond when asked why people were being taken because an investigation was pending. Lopez said the officer told her she was part of an organization that “protects rapists, sex offenders, drug dealers, and people who cross borders.”
Planet Princeton reached out to the media office for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Wednesday morning to find out why ICE is conducting a raid in Princeton and has not received a response from the Newark field office for comment as of 1:45 p.m.
Veronica Olivares-Weber, a resident who advocates for immigrants in the community, said she saw ICE officers in unmarked cars outside the Arts Council Wednesday. “They didn’t have any identifying plates,” she said. “They tried to arrest some people on the corner of Witherspoon and Green Street, but they didn’t because people started to ask where their warrant was.”
Olivares-Weber said people are afraid to pick up their children from school. Some businesses are at a standstill because of the situation. Businesses serving Latinos are mostly empty, and many businesses depending on Latino immigrants don’t have enough staff today.
Residents plan to meet later Wednesday to figure out a strategy to support the immigrant community. People are worried ICE officers may return on Thursday.
“It’s not okay what is happening,” Olivares-Weber said. “This is supposed to be a sanctuary city. People who really care about our residents should be out there helping and supporting our immigrant community. These people are a part of our community. They work two or three jobs to support their families. Right now everyone is scared.”
Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.
I was born in Princeton and my dad was deported back to Guatemala when I was 8. I am 26 years old now. But because of that I grew up without a father only by phone call because my mom could not travel and did not want to send me by myself. It is very sad for me to see this happening again. And hopefully families aren’t torn apart like mine was when all these people want is some work. 😢 there are studies that these families that are torn apart usually loose communication because of the depression of being soo far from ur family …
I dont understand why they called Spanish people illegals? Why they only go after Hispanics? There are a lot of other countries and people illegally here. If they are here working and not bothering anyone leave them alone. They need a warrant to go after them. They can not just pick someone up off the street. Insane this country is becoming. No respect for others. Everyones ancestors are illegal how would.they like it if they saw them get treated that way. We all are illegal. What happened to free country, land of the free, NO NEVER.
I’m so terribly sorry this happened to you, Jess. It shouldn’t happen to anyone.
Certainly not defending this, but based on their comments, Ms. Lopez and Ms. Olivares-Weber appear to misunderstand what “sanctuary city” means. Sanctuary cities exist in theory only, not as a matter of law, and there is no strict definition of the term. Generally, all such a self-adopted designation means is that local police will not seek out or turn in those who are here illegally, nor will they necessarily cooperate with federal immigration enforcement dictates. In no way does a city choosing to call itself a “sanctuary city” in any way prevent federal authorities from enforcing federal laws–nor, legally, could it. This distinction is important to recognize.
Amen. When I lived in Princeton, there was a giant banner on one of the churches on Nassau Street saying undocumented migrants would be safe inside. It was visible from the road. That kind of magical-thinking, self-congratulatory ineffectiveness made me nuts every time I saw it. Are those signs still up?
That’s true BUT…REAL sanctuary cities like, say, Tucson, AZ, do everything they can legally do to make it difficult for ICE to effectuate raids, such as having town police “coincidentally” stage various operations of their own in immigrant neighborhoods when they hear ICE is coming, thus making it very difficult for ICE to operate without causing real constitutional difficulties. One must remember that police powers are predominantly a state’s right to exercise. The mere fact that the ICE officers only had “police” on their vests strongly implies that PPD knew of and condoned the raid, making Princeton the antithesis of a sanctuary city. If I made myself a POLICE vest and walked down Nassau Street, I would be arrested in minutes for impersonating an officer of the law. Why was ICE allowed to roam wearing makeshift “police” jackets without any interference from Princeton Police?
I’ve spoken with the mayor’s office and Captain Tash at the police. No one can confirm they were even really ICE! The city was not given any advance notice of ICE activities, as they usually are when federal authorities like ICE or the FBI are in town. They were in unmarked cars, without plates, and with tinted windows, as shown in the photo above. Not to mention witnesses say they broke a number of traffic laws, driving dangerously and without regard for the citizens of Princeton. And if they were ICE, why were they wearing un-matched ‘police’ vests, since they are not cops?
So, who are they? Where are the people they picked up and what’s happening to them?
I’m waiting for answers from Mayor Freda’s office, and from Rep. Bonnie Watson-Colman. I urge anyone concerned with these frightening events to contact the mayor, the police and Rep. Watson-Colman.
No wonder the community is terrified. I join them in that terror.
Jus a thought , when I worked at Home Depot warehouse Cranbury 10 yrs ago Bounty Hunters came up n said they were police came in the building looking for 1 person same name BUT a legal person
Ice agents are law enforcement.
It’s been confirmed they were from ICE. Sleep well.
Very disturbing and scary reminds me of Handmaids tales. Right wing Christian and Trump propaganda!
Nothing to be terrified of, if you are here legally. As far as being a santuary city, cities dont get to abrigate state and federal law. As far as Coleman is concerned, she should keep to helping citizens not new comers. Lastly if Princeton wanted to be welcoming it would lower taxes.
Thanks ICE for doing a good job
Be here legally and have your papers in order. My family is safe and voting for the American Dream for every citizen. God Bless America.
Thank you for sharing I heard the news around 2that they took around 10people and they were visiting jobs sights and people are scared
I feel like this isn’t the whole story? 8 round ups? Where’s the videos of all these illegals in custody. I’m sure they were there for a purpose to get bad people out of our communities.
I can’t believe that Trump is doing this! He’s only been President again for negative 6 months or so, and this is happening!
“Families are terrified even to go out to get food today” said Claudia Lopez of Resistencia en accion NJ, a non-profit that defends immigrants rights in Princeton.
Either you conveniently forgot to mention that they are illegal immigrants, or it’s not quite clear what they are afraid of.
And yes, I’m not sure who told Olivares-Weber that Princeton is a sanctuary city..
If they have nothing to hide, they should not be afraid.
They are here illegally. Send them back to where they came from and let them apply through the same legal process to immigrate here as my family did. Fair is fair. We have laws for a reason and they intentionally broke our laws.
Putting aside legality for a minute, REMIND YOURSELVES: IMMIGRATION, legal or illegal, IS NECESSARY AND BENEFICIAL TO THE ECONOMY OF THE UNITED STATES AND OF OUR TOWN, PRINCETON. Without undocumented immigrants, who would do landscaping? Who would clean our homes? Who would provide labor to the town’s businesses on Palmer Square at a rate below, say, $50/hr? THERE IS A LABOR SHORTAGE IN THIS COUNTRY THAT IS BEING FILLED BY IMMIGRANTS, MOSTLY UNDOCUMENTED. IF YOU DEPORTED EVERY UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANT IN THE U.S. RIGHT NOW, OUR GDP WOULD DROP DRAMATICALLY. What we saw on July 10 was a disgrace. Guys in casual clothes, wearing makeshift police vests, wearing nine-millimeter handguns dangling from their hips. Harassing people who, regardless of their status, are just working hard to help US have mowed lawns, clean houses, and fresh sandwiches, etc. Nobody else will take these jobs. They are helping the economy of our town and our nation. I don’t care if they have the “proper papers” or not. Why does it matter?
ITS COMING!!!!
The fact that these comments are running in the direction they are really shows how the tide has turned. Even in Princeton! Fascinating.