U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez (D-8) and a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official are disputing the circumstances of two men being arrested in Union City yesterday morning.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“My team and I are aware of concerning reports of an ICE raid conducted in Union City this morning outside of a church. We are working with local officials and community members to learn more details, which will inform next steps,” Menendez wrote on X Sunday.
“I encourage all of our residents to visit https://menendez.house.gov/services/get-help/know-your-rights to learn more about your rights when interacting with ICE and to contact our office at (201) 309-0301 if we can be of any assistance to you, your family, friends or neighbors.”
The two-term congressman did not mention the church in question, but according to a Facebook video of the incident, the arrests occurred on 19th Street. Iglesia Cristiana Dios De Amor is a Spanish speaking church located at 414 19th St.
U.S. Department of Homeland Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, who serves as a spokeswoman for ICE, said in an email today that Menendez had spread misinformation.
“ICE did NOT target or raid a church on Sunday Feb. 15 in Union City, New Jersey. This type of garbage is contributing to our officers facing a more than 1,300% increase in assaults against them,” she began.
“Officers were conducting targeted surveillance for more than a mile before they conducted a vehicle stop. ICE officers arrested Emilio Ruiz-Esquivel, an illegal alien from El Salvador who was issued a final order of removal from an immigration judge after he failed to show up for his immigration hearing, and Oscar Leonel Telon Gonzalez, an illegal alien from Guatemala who illegally entered the United States at an unknown date or time.”
She concluded that “being in detention is a choice” and that anyone in the country illegally is being offered $2,600 and a free flight to self-deport, which gives them the opportunity to come back to the United States legally in the future.
In response, Menendez did not back down, claiming that ICE is known to lie in an attempt to change the narrative after people have already been detained.
“Yesterday, ICE decided to aggressively detain two church members right in front of their congregation before Sunday services in Union City. Since the start of the Trump Administration, ICE has terrorized communities across Hudson, Essex, and Union Counties with their aggressive and unaccountable tactics – often followed up by lies to try to cover for their actions,” he told HCV.
“No member of our community should feel unsafe going to church, the grocery store, using public transit or going about their daily lives – but that is the atmosphere of fear that this Administration has created for our neighbors. We encourage family members and friends of those impacted by these actions, or any resident who needs assistance with an immigration matter to reach out to our office.”
He concluded that his office will continue to fight to protect constituents, inform residents of their rights when interaction with federal authorities, and continue to work to abolish ICE once and for all.
 and an ICE official are disputing the circumstances of two men being arrested in Union City yesterday morning.){kind=link}
No surprise that Rob Menendez is pro-criminal. Look who his father is.
But the people of the 8th district, it’s time to look in the mirror. Is this guy representative of you? Is this who we are? What does it say about you that a man like Rob Menendez gets elected?