Jersey City Mayor James Solomon is calling for the immediate release of a young woman who was detained by five U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents while walking through downtown Jersey City on the morning of Friday, April 10th. The arrest took place near the intersection of Barrow Street and Wayne Street, about two months after federal immigration officials arrested 10 people in the city. Those earlier operations, which ranged from Downtown to the Heights, prompted responses from local and state officials, including town halls with residents and proposals for new legislation.
- Mayor James Solomon says the detained woman committed no crime and is demanding her immediate release, stating the city was neither notified of nor involved in the ICE operation.
- Five ICE agents arrested the woman on a residential street near Barrow and Wayne on April 10th, two months after 10 people were detained in a separate enforcement sweep in Jersey City.
- Solomon’s sanctuary city executive order bans use of city property for immigration enforcement, but federal agents have continued operating within city limits.
Solomon’s Statement
Solomon released a statement on Saturday confirming that both his office and the Jersey City Police Department were aware of the reports but had no prior knowledge of the operation and played no role in it. He said the detained person committed no crime and posed no threat to the community, and demanded that she be released immediately and returned to her loved ones. “They should be released immediately and returned to their loved ones,” he said.
The mayor described Jersey City as a community of immigrants and said every resident deserves to feel safe without the fear of being seized by federal agents. He said he is using every power available to him to fight what he called inhumane policies and to prevent ICE from using any city resources to spread fear in local communities.
What the Video Shows
Video footage of the encounter was posted to social media by Spirit of Liberation Jersey City (SOL), a local activist group. The recording shows the woman walking along the sidewalk when one law enforcement officer approaches, grabs her arm, and begins to talk to her. A second agent then appears, and the two start to arrest her. Three additional agents arrive shortly after, take her bag and other personal items, and escort her into an unmarked black SUV.
In a post accompanying the video, SOL wrote: “This morning in Downtown JC, at the intersection of Barrow St and Wayne St, our neighbor was kidnapped. Just a few feet away from a school where our children were playing, in the heart of Jersey City’s flourishing commercial district, agents of the state surrounded, intimidated, and abducted a young woman in an unmarked black car.”
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The group said that “all over our city, these kidnappings result in our immigrant community members being transported to, and suffering in, concentration camps and black sites.” SOL said the lack of awareness around ICE activity in local neighborhoods “enables us to walk past this horrific event without intervening.”
The organization wrote that “countless families live in fear around us and those who have already fallen victim to ICE’s terror are desperately fighting to locate and protect their loved ones.” SOL urged residents to “organize, mobilize, and continue to resist the invasion of ICE in Jersey City.”
Councilwoman Little’s Appeal
Ward E Councilwoman Eleana Little responded to SOL’s posts by asking anyone who knows the detained woman, or who has contact information for her friends or family, to reach her office at elittle@jcnj.org.
Sanctuary City Protections
Shortly after taking office this year, Solomon signed an executive order strengthening sanctuary city protections in Jersey City. The order established citywide training and protocols for encounters with federal immigration authorities, banned the use of city property for immigration enforcement, and created community partnerships for “know-your-rights” outreach and legal support. Federal agents have continued to conduct operations in the city despite those measures.
Awaiting Comment
A city spokesperson confirmed on Monday that the individuals involved were federal law enforcement agents but did not comment further. As of Monday afternoon, ICE had not responded to an email seeking details about the arrest. The Department of Homeland Security had also not replied to requests for information.
