An Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in the Bayard Street area of Trenton Thursday morning drew swift responses from Trenton Mayor W. Reed Gusciora and U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, as residents gathered in the Chambersburg neighborhood.
Gusciora said he “responded personally, along with members of the Trenton Police Department (TPD),” and reaffirmed that “Trenton is a city that values and protects all of its residents.” He emphasized that TPD “will continue to uphold the New Jersey Attorney General’s Immigrant Trust Directive,” adding, “TPD does not question people about immigration status, does not enforce civil immigration law, and does not assist ICE in carrying out raids simply because someone may be undocumented.”
“The role of TPD this morning was limited to maintaining public safety and preventing escalation,” Gusciora said. “Officers on the scene were directed to follow the Immigrant Trust Directive strictly, and no direct assistance was intended to help ICE in carrying out its immigration enforcement.”
“I want to be clear: ICE resources should be directed toward removing truly dangerous individuals — those who commit violent crimes and threaten our communities,” he said. “They should be focused on the ‘bad guys,’ not on hardworking men and women who are here to provide for their families and contribute to our economy.” Gusciora added that he has “already reached out to the Attorney General’s Office for clear guidance” and stressed, “Trenton is not in the business of aiding immigration raids. Our focus is and will remain on protecting residents from crime, keeping neighborhoods safe, and building trust with the community we serve.”
Watson Coleman called for the release of Julio Lopez Najera, “a Trenton resident with a pending green card application,” stating, “Julio is an upstanding member of this community… He has no criminal record… Most importantly, as a resident of the United States and the State of New Jersey, he has a right to due process. He should be released immediately.” Her office said agents “arrived at a home on Bayard Street,” that “they did not have a warrant for those in the home,” and “left the scene with Mr. Lopez Najera when their application for a warrant was rejected by a federal judge.” She said he “has been detained since early Thursday morning and is currently being held at Delaney Hall.”
Speaking to residents, Watson Coleman said, “We have the right to be treated as human beings. We have the right to have law enforcement conduct its responsibilities appropriately and legally. When they don’t, it is citizens like you that hold them accountable.” She added, “You and I, all want people who commit crimes off the streets, so ICE needs to get about its business and take care of the dangerous and leave those who simply want to work and live and worship and leave that part of the community alone.”
On X, she wrote that she was “aware of the developing situation between residents and ICE Agents in the Chambersburg neighborhood of Trenton,” asserted that “ICE has refused to produce a warrant for their attempted ‘arrests’ or their names or badge numbers,” and said, “Residents are rightfully fearful of so-called law enforcement that refuses to follow the law.” She added, “The Trump Administration’s ICE-capades are attempts at intimidation and are being exposed as deeply corrupt with top level officials allegedly profiting off of mass deportations of our neighbors…. This is not about protecting communities. It is about intimidation and fear.”
