ICE Clarifies Union City Arrests, Says Church Was Not the Target

The weekend arrest of two individuals at a Union City, New Jersey, church was not related to federal immigration enforcement, according to immigration authorities.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stopped a car outside a Union City church on 19th Street on Sunday during a targeted operation. Enforcement did not target the church, according to the agency.

A neighboring resident posted a Facebook video of numerous uniformed agents arresting two people on the church’s street. The film went viral and aroused community worries about a religious site being targeted.

To address such concerns, an ICE official stated the agency had been surveillance for more than a mile before stopping the car that led to the arrests. Officials stressed that the operation targeted people, not religious institutions.

Federal authorities identified the arrested males as El Salvadoran Emilio Ruiz-Esquivel and Guatemalan Oscar Leonel Telon Gonzalez.

ICE reported that an immigration judge had issued a final order of removal to Ruiz-Esquivel after he missed his immigration hearing. The federal government argued this order subjected him to removal under U.S. immigration law.

Telon Gonzalez, the second person, entered the US without legal status at an unknown date or time, according to ICE.

Representative Rob Menendez of New Jersey’s 8th District also noticed the occurrence. The congressman stated on social media that his office was investigating claims of an ICE raid outside a Union City church and that his office was working with local officials and community members.

ICE claims the arrests were targeted, but the case shows recurring issues surrounding immigration enforcement, especially near sensitive areas like institutions of worship.

The Department of Homeland Security’s ICE enforces federal immigration laws. The agency enforces federal immigration statutes and immigration court deportation orders.

Officials have not announced any additional arrests related to the event. ICE claims that the church was not the target and that the arrests were based on immigration status.

The arrest’s notoriety and location keep the issue in the local community’s mind. Federal officials have maintained that their measures targeted people, not religious organizations.