The new Donald Trump administration is making good on its promise to expel illegal aliens from US soil.
On Thursday, U.S. immigration agents arrested undocumented migrants and some American citizens in a raid on a Newark, New Jersey, worksite.
However, Newark’s mayor, Ras Baraka, criticized the raid for detaining a military veteran and violating citizens’ rights.
Baraka has previously supported Newark’s “sanctuary” policies, which protect migrants from deportation.
On taking office on Monday, Trump had issued executive orders to enforce strict immigration laws. He also plans to punish officials who oppose these measures.
During the raid on Thursday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents did not produce a warrant. They detained “undocumented residents as well as citizens,” Mayor Baraka complained.
Even Citizens Are Targeted
The mayor said one detainee was a U.S. military veteran whose military documents were questioned. “This is an indignity,” Baraka remarked.
An ICE spokesperson said that ICE was looking into the incident but that agents might encounter U.S. citizens while working. They will request identification to confirm an individual’s identity.
But Baraka argued that the raid violated constitutional rights. “Newark will not stand by idly while people are being unlawfully terrorized.”
The specific business involved in the raid has not been named by Baraka or ICE.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt later reported that Trump’s administration arrested 538 people in total on that day.
She described them as “illegal immigrant criminals.”
Leavitt claimed they included members of a Venezuelan prison gang and individuals convicted of sex crimes. However, she did not provide further details on those arrests.
Some research shows immigrants do not commit crimes at a higher rate than native-born Americans.
Since Trump’s crackdown began, Mayor Baraka is among the first local officials to respond to this specific raid.
In 2017, he signed an executive order affirming Newark’s sanctuary city status. He has been vocal about his opposition to Trump’s immigration policies.
Around 11 million immigrants in the U.S. are undocumented or have temporary status. About 44% of these individuals live in states with “sanctuary” laws. This number doesn’t include those in cities without statewide laws, like New Mexico.
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