Morristown High School senior among those detained in Sunday ICE raid
The community remained shaken up Monday.
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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained seven to 10 people in Morristown Sunday morning, according to town officials. The mayor says it happened around 10:15 a.m. at the corner of Speedwell Avenue and Henry Street.
The community remained shaken up Monday.
"Nobody's coming out anymore because everybody's getting snatched up,” said resident David Garcia.
"There was somebody over in the laundromat that was picked up, didn't want to go,” said resident Bonnie Faires. “There's no reason for that."
“The laundromat was empty today,” said Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty (D). “The coffee shop down on Speedwell Avenue didn't have a line in it. So, there's consequences to these things when they happen."
The mayor says ICE has been around, but this is the first time that a large group of people was taken in town. Among them, a high school senior.
"I'm sure maybe they saw him on Friday, and now he's not in school on Monday,” said Assemblywoman-Elect Marisa Sweeney (D, NJ-25). “I can only imagine the unrest there."
Dougherty said the student is being detained in Elizabeth. Right now, town officials don't know everyone's identity or where they are being held. He wants residents to know that township police were not involved.
"We will not ask their immigration status, we will not arrest them,” said Dougherty. “We don't want people - because of fear of what's going on here - not to call if there's a crime."
It remains a difficult time for neighbors along Speedwell Avenue, including those who saw what happened themselves.
"People think they're gone,” Garcia said. “They're not gone, and we don't know how long ICE is going to be out here for."
"These are hardworking people,” Faires said. “These are people that deserve a break. They deserve to live just like any one of us do."
ICE media relations did not answer a request for comment.
