Feds Make Surprise Arrests Near NYC Border, Leaving Residents on Edge
A pair of unmarked vehicles pulled up near the 9th Street Light Rail Station in Jersey City early Sunday morning, sparking fears among local residents. Witnesses reported seeing two people being taken into custody by masked agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Councilmember Jake Ephros said he personally witnessed one of these detentions after hearing reports from constituents about an earlier arrest. "I'm so angry," Ephros stated in an interview with Gothamist, citing the city's historically Latino neighborhoods as vulnerable to such enforcement actions. He recorded videos showing the arrests, including footage of officers handcuffing a man and fleeing in unmarked vehicles.
The situation drew swift attention from local officials, who condemned the incident as "disturbing" and urged residents to know their rights. Hoboken Mayor Emily Jabbour stated that her city has no further information on the scope of the operation but reaffirmed its commitment to supporting all residents regardless of background or immigration status.
Jersey City's Mayor James Solomon echoed similar sentiments, advising residents to remain silent if approached by authorities and warning against signing documents without understanding their contents. His office had previously confirmed federal immigration enforcement activity in the area.
In light of this incident, local leaders are hosting emergency meetings to address concerns among constituents. As tensions rise nationwide over immigration enforcement tactics, New York Governor Kathy Hochul has proposed banning partnerships between local police and ICE.
The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the matter.
A pair of unmarked vehicles pulled up near the 9th Street Light Rail Station in Jersey City early Sunday morning, sparking fears among local residents. Witnesses reported seeing two people being taken into custody by masked agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Councilmember Jake Ephros said he personally witnessed one of these detentions after hearing reports from constituents about an earlier arrest. "I'm so angry," Ephros stated in an interview with Gothamist, citing the city's historically Latino neighborhoods as vulnerable to such enforcement actions. He recorded videos showing the arrests, including footage of officers handcuffing a man and fleeing in unmarked vehicles.
The situation drew swift attention from local officials, who condemned the incident as "disturbing" and urged residents to know their rights. Hoboken Mayor Emily Jabbour stated that her city has no further information on the scope of the operation but reaffirmed its commitment to supporting all residents regardless of background or immigration status.
Jersey City's Mayor James Solomon echoed similar sentiments, advising residents to remain silent if approached by authorities and warning against signing documents without understanding their contents. His office had previously confirmed federal immigration enforcement activity in the area.
In light of this incident, local leaders are hosting emergency meetings to address concerns among constituents. As tensions rise nationwide over immigration enforcement tactics, New York Governor Kathy Hochul has proposed banning partnerships between local police and ICE.
The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the matter.
The thing is, this whole situation near NYC feels kinda super sensitive & scary for everyone involved 
Residents have a right to feel safe in their neighborhoods, especially when they hear rumors about raids like this one. It's not just Councilmember Ephros who's upset – it's the whole community that's on edge 
However, I think we need more than just words – we need real change 
It's time for a clearer plan from the governor & federal agencies about how they'll protect communities like this.
it's so scary for people living in those neighborhoods to feel like they're being targeted just because of where they live. AND YET, THE GOVERNOR IS PROPOSING TO BAN PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN POLICE AND ICE... IT'S ABOUT TIME SOMEONE TAKES A STAND AGAINST THESE KINDS OF ENFORCEMENT TACTICS!!!
gotta feel for the people living in those neighborhoods, ya know? It's scary when you hear sirens and see masked agents taking people away without warning. Councilmember Ephros is right, it does seem like they're targeting areas with a lot of Latino folks. 
But at the same time, I get why the officials are trying to be cautious - we've seen some pretty disturbing things go down in the past. 
Mayor Jabbour's got a point about supporting all residents regardless of background, though. We need more unity and less division here. 
As for Kathy Hochul's proposal, that seems like a reasonable step towards keeping our local police from getting too involved with ICE. 
Maybe we can find some common ground between enforcement and community trust? 
i need some actual sources on this, not just second-hand info from council members and mayors who are only looking out for themselves...
and can we talk about the mayor s actions for a sec? they should be addressing this issue more directly like "hey ice agents leave our ppl alone" not just saying "ur right to know ur rights" 
... like wut happened to due process?!? It's all so sketchy 
. And can we talk about how the mayor is trying to calm ppl down? Like, "know ur rights" sounds good and all but it's not exactly reassuring when u see agents just swooping in like that 
It's got everyone on edge, including local leaders who are trying to do their job. I mean, I get it, there's a lot of uncertainty around immigration policies right now... but do we really need to be living like this? 
. Like, what if they were just innocent bystanders getting caught up in the chaos? 
.
. We can't just sit back and wait for more news to come out (although, let's be real, the DHS saying nothing is already giving me major red flags 
gotta keep ppl accountable like that. And NYC Mayor Hochul's proposal to ban ICE partnerships with local police is about time 
.
And now Hoboken Mayor Emily Jabbour is saying her city will support all residents regardless of background... can we really trust them to do that after something like this? 
.
i no its super scary for locals esp cuz theres so many latino ppl around here council member jake ephros even recorded vids of it incl a guy gettin handcuffed lol he's really mad about it too says his constituents r livid 
anyway local gov is gettin all upset and warnin ppl to dont sign nothin without readin it thru 
and kathy hochul wanna ban ice from workin w/ local cops thats soo cool 
. ppl need to chill out & educate themselves on the laws & policies surrounding immigration enforcement. news outlets love drama & clicks, so they're gonna spin this in a way that gets views 
. mayor jabbour & solomon r doin the right thing by remindin residents 2 know their rights, tho 
. btw, can we pls focus on real issues instead of just rehashing immigration debate? 
. The fact that councilmember Ephros recorded videos of these arrests is wild - it's like he's trying to expose some deep-seated truth 
and I saw they have this crazy long wait time for their signature dish... like, over an hour 
? And I'm thinking, if you're gonna take that long to make a burger, shouldn't it at least be worth watching the cooking process on YouTube or something? 
Just saying, I mean, what's the point of waiting if you can just watch a pro do it? 
And can you imagine how scary it must be for those who are already vulnerable because of their immigration status...