ICE Arrests Criminal Illegal Aliens Amid Calls to Close Newark Detention Center

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained illegal immigrants with serious criminal backgrounds—including murder, child sex crimes, and drug trafficking—while Democratic leaders push for the closure of an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey.

According to reports, demonstrators advocating for the abolition of ICE have rallied outside Delaney Hall, insisting that undocumented immigrants inside are on hunger strikes and enduring inhumane treatment.

A number of New Jersey’s Democratic lawmakers, such as Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Andy Kim, and Rep. LaMonica McIver, have voiced their support for shutting down the facility.

DHS Secretary Lauren Biss stated that Democrats should recognize the contributions of ICE agents for removing dangerous criminals from communities, referring to a recently released list of those arrested across New Jersey. Some of these individuals likely were housed in Delaney Hall.

Among those arrested by ICE in New Jersey are:

• Jose de la O Raines, from El Salvador, arrested in Plainfield; has a record of murder.
• Stephen McKenzie, a Jamaican national, arrested in Rahway; charged with possession of a prohibited weapon, murder, aggravated assault, robbery, and assault.
• Juan Vasquez Reyes, from Mexico, detained in Bridgeton; also has a murder charge.
• Jean Martinez Valverde, from Peru, apprehended in Elizabeth; involved in sex crimes against minors.
• Sergio Marquez Abrantes, from Portugal, arrested in Newark; accused of enticing a minor for obscene purposes.
• Antonio Gutierrez Arroyo, from Mexico, taken into custody in Bridgeton; charged with sexual assault and resisting arrest.
• Samuel Santiago Gomez, a Spanish national, arrested in Freehold; has charges for selling cocaine, drug possession, and aggravated assault.
• Miguel Gonzalez, from the Dominican Republic, arrested at Fort Dix; charged with aggravated assault, weapons possession, and drug trafficking.
• Jose Taveras, also from the Dominican Republic, taken in Newark; involved in aggravated assault and weapons possession.
• Rudy Chavez, from Guatemala, arrested at Fort Dix; charged with murder and drug trafficking.
• Glenroy Lewis, a Jamaican national, taken into custody in Morristown; involved in robbery, possession of a weapon, and aggravated assault.
• Luis Castaneda-Reyes, from Colombia, arrested at Fort Dix; charged with theft and burglary, among other offenses.
• Jonathan Sepulveda-Lara, from the Dominican Republic, arrested at Fort Dix; involved in drug trafficking and robbery.
• Nelson Granados Oviedo, from Honduras, arrested in Hackettstown; charged with amphetamine manufacturing and drug trafficking.
• Manuel Morales Rivera, from Mexico, arrested in Bridgeton; involved in aggravated assault.
• Rainier Guzmán Alvarado, from Honduras, arrested in Atlantic City; charged with aggravated assault.

Biss expressed frustration over what she termed “sanctuary politicians,” urging them to collaborate with law enforcement to ensure that these criminals are taken out of the state. “With this kind of stigma,” she noted, “police officers are facing an unprecedented increase in assaults as they try to address these serious issues.”