A man was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents outside a Mexican restaurant in Downtown Jersey City on Saturday, with photos and video showing five agents pulling him from a white car and placing him into a black vehicle as onlookers watched. The man was wearing a pink t-shirt and black track pants with a green stripe when agents took him away near Tacos Victoria on 7th Street.
The arrest was reported by Hudson County View, which detailed how the account Spirit of Liberation Jersey City shared in an Instagram story that ICE agents were spotted outside Tacos Victoria at 324 1/2 7th Street around 4:40 p.m. Saturday. The outlet's photos and video capture the agents removing the man from the car before driving off with him in custody. ICE did not return an email from Hudson County View seeking comment on the arrest.
Multiple Jersey City officials told the outlet they were unaware of the details of the incident, leaving basic questions about the operation unanswered — including whether the arrest stemmed from an administrative or judicial warrant, and whether the man was taken to Delaney Hall in Newark or elsewhere.
Congressman Presses for Answers, Vows to Keep Fighting ICE
U.S. Representative Rob Menendez, who represents New Jersey's 8th District covering Jersey City, said his office had contacted the man's family and pressed authorities for information, according to the same Hudson County View account. Menendez said ICE's targeting of neighbors does not make communities safer, and he urged residents to know their rights when interacting with immigration agents.
The congressman added that residents needing immediate help with an immigration issue can reach out to his office, and said his team will continue fighting to abolish ICE. Menendez has taken an increasingly activist posture against the agency over the past year — in January, he co-sponsored the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act with U.S. Senator Cory Booker, which would phase out private for-profit detention facilities and repeal mandatory civil detention, according to a release from Rep. Rob Menendez's office.
In May, Menendez and U.S. Senator Andy Kim conducted an oversight inspection at the GEO Group-operated Delaney Hall detention center in Newark after complaints surfaced about inadequate medical care for pregnant detainees, per the congressman's office. That same month, Menendez co-introduced the No Delay for Immigrant Oversight Act to guarantee congressional access to federal detention centers, a push that followed an earlier incident in which he and other lawmakers were blocked by armed ICE agents at Delaney Hall. In April, he joined House Democrats in passing Department of Homeland Security funding legislation that excluded operational funding for ICE and Border Patrol.
State Law Limits Local Police Assistance With Federal Immigration Enforcement
The Saturday arrest unfolded against a backdrop of expanding state protections meant to limit local involvement in federal immigration enforcement. In January, the New Jersey Legislature passed Assembly Bill 6310, codifying the state's Immigrant Trust Directive to limit local law enforcement's voluntary assistance to federal authorities, according to WHYY. The directive was originally issued by the state Attorney General in 2018 to build trust between immigrant communities and local police.
In March, Governor Mikie Sherrill signed Senate Bill 3114, the Law Enforcement Officer Protection Act, which requires officers to reveal their facial identities and provide sufficient identification before arresting or detaining someone. A department-issued photo ID, an agency-insignia uniform, or a badge are listed as alternatives, per NJ Senate Democrats. State legislators specifically pointed to unidentifiable federal agents as an obstacle to public accountability when pushing the bill.
Jersey City's own sanctuary status dates back to February 2017, when Mayor Steven Fulop signed an executive order barring municipal agencies and local police from spending city resources to enforce federal civil immigration laws, according to the Associated Press. Roughly 40 percent of the city's population was foreign-born at the time the order was enacted. In May 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a civil lawsuit against Jersey City, Newark, Hoboken, and Paterson, alleging their sanctuary policies unlawfully obstructed federal immigration agents, as reported by CBS News.
Part of a Pattern Across Hudson County
Saturday's arrest adds to a string of ICE operations that have rattled Jersey City residents in recent weeks. Hoodline previously reported on a man hit by a car during a chaotic ICE detention near the city's Liberty State Park light rail station in September, and on a Hudson County investigation into whether county corrections staff had contact with federal agents regarding a Jersey City man's 10-week detention. ICE's Newark Field Office, based at 970 Broad Street, oversees all enforcement and removal operations across New Jersey's 21 counties, according to ICE.
The questions left open after Saturday's arrest — who the man is, what kind of warrant was used, and where he was taken — remain unanswered as of publication. Neither ICE nor Jersey City officials have offered further details, and the family's current situation has not been made public.
