NEWARK ADVOCATES CONDEMN HIGH SPEED ICE PURSUIT, CALL FOR STATEWIDE ACTION FROM TRENTON

Federal agents are responsible for a high speed car chase resulting in a 3-car crash, involving three children and another person in detention.

NEWARK ADVOCATES CONDEMN HIGH SPEED ICE PURSUIT, CALL FOR STATEWIDE ACTION FROM TRENTON

Federal agents are responsible for a high speed car chase resulting in a 3-car crash, involving three children and another person in detention.

Newark, NJ [02.25.26] - Newark advocates loudly condemned and rebuked the continued presence of federal immigration agents in New Jersey’s largest city following a high speed chase that resulted in a multi-vehicle crash where at least three of the passengers were children. Today’s crash comes less than 24 hours after President Trump used the highest platform in the nation to villanize and scapegoat immigrants during the State of the Union.

Amy Torres, Executive Director with New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, said: "There is not a world where true public safety and ICE can coexist. ICE did not promote public safety in Lindenwold when federal agents chased down school children. ICE did not promote public safety in Union City when federal agents kidnapped worshippers on their way to church. And ICE certainly did not promote public safety today in Newark nor during last year’s lawless opening of Delaney Hall, the arrest of our Mayor, and the charges brought against our Congresswoman. Newark has always taken a firm stance against ICE. We are calling on Governor Sherrill, Senate President Scutari, and Speaker Coughlin to do everything within their power to strengthen to pass legislation that does the same."

Larry Ham, Executive Director and Founder of Peoples Organization for Progress (POP), said: “We must get ICE out of Newark. Newark will not be the federal government’s playground for recklessness, terror, and abuse. The President continues to come after our cities and scapegoat our people as criminals, but it is he himself who is sowing chaos and breaking the law. ICE should not have been in Newark in 2025 when they opened Delaney Hall and they should not be here today. There is no acceptable political position that isn’t the full abolition and dismantling of ICE. ICE out of Newark, ICE out of New Jersey, ICE out altogether.”

Henal Patel, Law & Policy Director at New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, said: “For nine years under the Newark Consent Decree, Newark residents worked with the Newark Police Division to reimagine public safety—building trust, accountability and a vision rooted in community well-being,” said Henal Patel, Law & Policy Director at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. “ICE  simply has no home in that vision. Their reckless presence in Newark today reinforces what we all know: ICE does not make communities safer—it makes them more dangerous. There is no home for ICE in Newark, in New Jersey or in America.”

Amanda Dominguez, Community Organizer with New Labor, said: “If you still believe that immigration enforcement only affects illegal immigrants, take a look at what happened in Newark today. It was just days ago that a similar high speed ICE chase in Georgia killed a Savannah school teacher. Today's crash involved three children and resulted in yet another person's detention. This is the consequence we live with when federal agents are given free reign in our communities. What the nation watched happen in Minneapolis is not a "what if" scenario for Newark, it is simply a question of “when?”. ICE will continue its reign of terror, but only if we let them."

NJAIJ reminds allies and supporters to use caution when reposting footage and reels of today's events to guard against doxxing attempts and digital retaliation. Those reposting footage should exercise extreme care to blur the faces, personal accounts, photo and video meta data, and obscure or crop other identifying information or features of the Newarkers who took to the streets to immediately confront and document this injustice. Together, we keep us safe.