Local Red Bank Landscaper Held by ICE as Community Leaders Raise Concerns Over Enforcement Actions
After being apprehended during a recent enforcement activity in Red Bank, New Jersey, a famous landscaper remains in federal immigration custody, worrying local residents and elected authorities.
Longtime Red Bank homeowner and small landscaping business owner Ricardo Paz has been in ICE custody for almost a week. Paz was detained despite having an open immigration case and complying with all legal obligations, according to his attorney, Anne Sedki.
Paz was astonished and heartbroken by the sudden detention, said Sedki. While he is at Delaney Hall, a Newark federal detention center, she speaks to him regularly. She wants to keep him positive while his immigration court case progresses.
ICE officials have not explained Paz’s imprisonment, Sedki said, despite numerous requests. She stressed that he had attended all court dates and obeyed immigration law. She said poor communication has made it hard to protect his due process rights.
Red Bank residents know Paz, 46, who runs Ricardo Paz Landscape & Lawn Care. Many people remember him biking with a trailer to deliver landscaping supplies to job sites. His neighbors and friends describe him as a dedicated small company owner with strong community ties.
He has a 17-year-old son, and his counsel said his detention is affecting his family and business. Without a job, Paz’s future is unknown.
Paz was prosecuted but not convicted of domestic violence in 2011. His attorney argued ICE’s detention may not have been influenced by that earlier charge.
As his case continues, Sedki expects Paz to be transferred to Elizabeth Detention Facility in the following days.
A local outcry followed the detention. At a recent Red Bank Borough Council meeting, Councilwoman Christina Bonatakis said the enforcement activity upsets many neighbors.
She claimed community members were shocked by what they saw, adding that those who had never seen federal authorities in their area found it scary. Bonatakis warned against normalizing such acts and highlighted that the victims were respected Red Bank residents.
ICE has not disclosed how many people were held during the January 6 enforcement action on Bridge Street, leaving community members seeking clarification and accountability.
As Paz sits in detention, his case has sparked a local discourse about immigration enforcement, due process, and the effects on New Jersey families, small businesses, and tight-knit communities.
Sources:
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Red Bank Borough Council statements
Attorney statements provided in the case
