Democrats rail against ‘outrageous’ ICE raid after questioning military veteran

New Jersey’s mayor and other leading Democrats fired up Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) a raid on a job site they say resulted in undocumented residents as well as an American citizen being “imprisoned.”

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka criticized the operation as an “outrageous act” and a violation of the rules Fourth Amendment after agents allegedly raided a business establishment “without a warrant.”

Baraka said one of those arrested was a US military veteran who “suffered the humiliation of having the legitimacy of his military records questioned.”

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“This outrageous act is a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment to the US Constitution, which guarantees ‘the right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, documents and effects, against unreasonable search and seizure…'” Baraka wrote in a statement.

“Newark will not stand by while people are illegally terrorized,” Barak said, adding that he is “ready and willing to defend and protect civil and human rights.”

It’s not clear whether a U.S. citizen was taken into custody in the Newark case, and an ICE spokesperson told Fox News that the U.S. citizen was asked to show identification.

“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement may encounter U.S. citizens while working in the field and may request identification to determine the individual’s identity, as was the case during a targeted workplace enforcement operation today in Newark, New Jersey,” he said. an ICE spokesperson told Fox News about the operation in Newark on Thursday. “This is an active investigation and, per ICE policy, we cannot discuss ongoing investigations.”

ICE raids have stepped up across the country this week as President Donald Trump seeks to crack down on illegal immigration, a key campaign promise. Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan said ICE agents will focus “on the worst first, the threats to public safety first, but no one is excluded. If they’re in the country illegally, they have a problem.”

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New Jersey Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim joined Baraka in condemning the raid.

“We are deeply troubled by the news of today’s ICE raid in Newark. Our offices have reached out to the Department of Homeland Security seeking answers,” the senators said in a joint statement.

“Actions like this sow fear in all of our communities — and our broken immigration system requires solutions, not fear tactics. We will continue to work with Mayor Barak and other local officials to gather more information to ensure that all New Jerseyans are safe and their dignity and rights are protected.”

Baraka, a progressive Democrat, has been mayor of Newark since 2014 and is running for governor of New Jersey this year. He called for a “progressive overhaul” of the blue state, and his campaign platform includes reparations, sanctuary state laws, child bonds and universal basic income.”

Rep. LaMonica McIver, DN.J., also strongly condemned the raid in a statement.

“Trump’s attacks on immigrant communities are already hitting the mark and we will not back down,” she said. “We will always fight for the dignity and rights of everyone in our district and across the country.”

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In the first days of the Trump administration, ICE made more than 460 arrests illegal immigrantsincluding those with criminal histories that include sexual assault, domestic violence, and drug and gun crimes. The arrests took place across the US, including Illinois, Utah, California, Minnesota, New York, Florida and Maryland.

Agents arrested citizens from a number of countries, including Afghanistan, Angola, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Senegal and Venezuela.

Fox News’ Bill Melugin, Stephen Sorace and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.