'Devastating.' ICE detainee family members demand action from local lawmakers
The New Jersey Immigrant Trust Act seeks to bar local law enforcement agencies from assisting with federal immigration enforcement.
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Close to 50 people were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in a raid in Avenel last month.
Their families rallied in front of their local representative's office Thursday morning, demanding accountability from elected officials.
"It is devastating to tell my family. They not only took Cristhian from me. They also took him from my family. All of us are struggling right now as a family," Blanca Montoya, the mother of Cristhian Montoya, who was detained in last month's raid said.
Teenager Jhonatan Cabrera was also detained.
His mother told News 12 he has a valid work permit.
"It was an ugly feeling when they took him. My heart was racing," Sandra Suero, Jhonatan's mother, said. "They don't care if they have a pending status. They still take them. They are looking for people who have a defined status, not a pending status."
Democratic State Assemblyman Craig Couglin's office had a sign on the door that said it was closed for the afternoon, despite repeated calls from protesters for action.
"There's an ITS, Immigrant Trust Act, in place. He's the one who can put it above, and he hasn't done anything. The raid that happened was right in his backyard, and he hasn't done anything," said Jorge Torres, organizing director for the National Day Labor Organizing Network.
The New Jersey Immigrant Trust Act seeks to bar local law enforcement agencies from assisting with federal immigration enforcement.
It was introduced in 2024, but it hasn't passed.
"We don't need our local resources being utilized in those ways. It's going to sow mistrust in communities. People are going to be afraid to approach local law enforcement, to report crimes, to help with investigations," said Amanda Dominguez, a community organizer with New Labor.
News 12 reached out to Coughlin's office for comment but has not heard back yet.
