Early this morning, dozens of agents, including those from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), entered Ocean Seafood Depot, a seafood business in Newark.
The company, owned by Portuguese citizen Luís Janota, had already faced a raid in January of this year, shortly after Donald Trump took office as President of the United States, promising “the largest mass deportation in the nation’s history.”
Witnesses told Lusa that the agents entered the business and began separating workers with proper documentation from those without, with those who had legal status receiving a red wristband and being allowed to leave the premises.
The rest were reportedly detained inside the establishment and later taken away in vans with darkened windows, according to witnesses who preferred to remain anonymous. They also indicated that the agents had a list of individuals they were searching for.
Images from the scene showed police with covered faces and no visible identification, a recurring practice among ICE agents. Isabelle Coelho-Marques, a Portuguese-American businesswoman and founder of the public relations firm Plusable in New Jersey, told Lusa that the community is engulfed in fear and anxiety following the recent raids.
“With ICE’s actions in Ironbound, this neighborhood in Newark known for its strong Portuguese and Brazilian presence, there is a lot of apprehension. Ironbound has not only been shaped by immigrant contributions but continues to be an economic powerhouse driven by the labor of these communities,” she asserted.
“The actions of ICE not only scare the neighborhood but also have a very negative impact on the local economy,” she added. Christine Cuttita, regional spokesperson for ICE, described today’s operation as part of an “internal security investigation,” during which a “search warrant” was executed, according to local press.
Lusa attempted to contact businessman Luís Janota but received no response. In the previous raid in January, Janota described a situation similar to today’s, where about ten ICE agents entered his premises and “began asking workers for identification.”
Of the three employees detained at that time, none were Portuguese, and Janota believed that the January operation was initiated based on a tip-off.
Newark, home to one of the most significant Portuguese communities in the United States, is one of several “sanctuary cities” in the country, where local and state laws protect undocumented populations, providing refuge for those who have not been able to legalize their status.
There has been an increase in arrests by ICE since Trump began his second term, with reports of raids occurring nationwide. Additionally, cases of Green Card holders—legal permanent residents—being detained and facing deportation have also increased.
