U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained several people on Sunday in Hudson County near the border of Jersey City Heights and Hoboken, with one agent telling elected officials no warrants were needed.
Videos on social media showed ICE agents detaining people in unmarked vehicles in two cities in Hudson County.
“These videos are extremely disturbing and apparently include randomly picking up and dropping off people on their way to work,” Jersey City Mayor James Solomon said in a statement.
Hoboken and Jersey City police were not notified in advance and were not involved in detaining residents, officials said.
A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last week, Solomon signed an executive order banning ICE agents from using city-owned properties while conducting operations in New Jersey’s second-largest city.
“We are ICE and obviously we have been flagged,” an ICE agent told Jersey City Councilman Jake G. Ephros in a video posted on Instagram on Sunday. “Nothing you say will prevent us from doing our job.”
When Everose asked the agent if they had a search warrant, the agent responded, “We don’t need a warrant, man. Don’t even think about it.”
Hoboken Mayor Emily B. Jabbour said she and Councilmember Joe Quintero spoke with witnesses who told them that ICE agents arrested three people, including two workers at local businesses.
“I know how upsetting and scary this news can be, especially for our immigrant neighbors,” Jabr said in a letter to the community.
“Please take care of yourself and others,” said Jabr, who encouraged residents to read the American Civil Liberties Union’s “Know Your Rights” guide.
The Fourth Amendment protects people from unauthorized entry into their homes.
ACLU guidance states that law enforcement officers typically require a judicial warrant signed by a judge to enter a private home unless the resident gives them permission to enter.
According to an internal ICE memo obtained by The Associated Press in January, agents have the authority to remove someone from a home based on an executive order rather than a judicial order signed by a judge.
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