Dozens taken into custody in Edison warehouse ICE raid, advocates say
The raid happened at the Smart Logistics and Freight Solutions warehouse on Wednesday morning.
More Stories
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducted a raid at a warehouse in Edison on Wednesday, taking 29 people into custody.
The raid happened at the Smart Logistics and Freight Solutions warehouse. Several companies are housed there, including Amazon, UPS and FedEx.
When News 12 arrived at the scene, there was a line of trucks waiting to be loaded. One driver told News 12 that he had been waiting since noon and wasn’t sure how long it would take.
Employees and advocates from the organization New Labor say an employee alerted a relative, who is a member of the organization, that the raid was happening. They told News 12 that this raid happened around 10 a.m.
RELATED: Rally held for workers at Alba Wine and Spirits detained at Delaney Hall
Employees left behind were visibly shaken, consoling each other and some were seen leaving for the day.
News 12 was told that this is a Customs and Border Patrol-bonded warehouse, which allows the agency to do inspections. However, advocates tell News 12 that ICE agents came in without a warrant.
“We have Customs and Border Patrol holding the door open for their ICE counterparts to say they’re allowed in with us, and then they start doing immigration-related actions,” says Amanda Dominguez, of New Labor. “That is illegal. ICE still needs their own judicial warrant signed by a judge.”
Just last month, the Alba Wine & Spirits Warehouse in Edison was also raided. Some 20 people were detained.
News 12 reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment and is waiting to hear back.
Edison officials say that Homeland Security notified the Edison Police Department that they’d be in the area on Wednesday.
