U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed that they arrested two brothers outside of West New York Town Hall following a municipal court appearance earlier this week, an agency spokesman confirmed.Â
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Hugo Israel Balen-Gonzalez and Edgar Balan-Gonzalez were arrested as the targets of an ICE enforcement operation due to active ICE warrants for immigration violations,” ICE spokesman Emilio Dabul told HCV in an email.
“Such operations are carried out pursuant to federal immigration law.”
The arrests occurred on Tuesday afternoon and were first reported by the Spanish speaking television station Univision.
West New York spokesman Pablo Fonseca said that Mayor Felix Roque “is totally against” the arrests and noted the long-term impact this could have in the North Hudson community.
“West New York is a fair and welcoming community and Mayor Roque is totally against what happened with ICE,” Fonseca said over the phone.
“The problem that this causes is that people have issues with assault or with children, but now they’ll be afraid to report it to authorities due to this incident. West New York [officials] do not question people on their residency and is here to assist the residents in any way they can.”
Nearly a year ago, the West New York Board of Commissioners passed a resolution declaring the town “a fair and welcoming community.”
Prior to that legislative action, ICE had detained people in West New York on at least two separate occasions.
The mayor I know is a so call doctor maybe he needs a doctor himself