New Jersey
Dozens arrested in ICE raid at N.J. warehouse
Twenty-nine people were arrested during an ICE raid at a warehouse in Edison on Wednesday morning, the township’s mayor said. .
Video from New Brunswick-based advocacy group New Labor shows Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and Customs and Border Protection officers at Smart Logistics and Freight Solutions, which houses Amazon, UPS and FedEx.
Amanda Dominguez of New Labor said ICE officers tailed CBP officials into the facility. CBP officers are allowed in because the warehouse, located at 65 Patrick Avenue, is a CBP-bonded facility.
ICE acknowledged a request for comment from NJ Advance Media but didn’t immediately provide one.
Edison Mayor Sam Joshi said township officials were informed about the planned raid prior to it occurring.
Dominguez said ICE officers arrived at 10 a.m., jumped out of an unmarked vehicle, approached a guard in a security booth. They then demanded the security guard open the gate and hand over his walkie-talkie.
ICE officers then stormed into the warehouse and began removing workers, she said.
“It’s a Customs and Border Patrol bonded facility, so they have a contract where they’re allowed to go and check on the goods in the warehouse, but the problem is now is that they’re holding the door open for their ICE counterparts and that is illegal,” Dominguez said. ”ICE still needs a warrant signed by a judge to go and do ICE actions.”
Workers who could provide adequate documentation were given wristbands while others were loaded into unmarked vans and taken away, Dominguez said.
ICE officers also used drones inside the warehouse to search for workers possibly hiding in the scaffolding, Dominguez said. CBP officers didn’t participate in the arrests.
ICE didn’t provide information to relatives about where their loved ones were being taken.
Three people were injured during the raid, including one worker who was handcuffed and thrown to the ground by an ICE officer and another who was seen bleeding from his torso, Dominguez said. A third was hurt in an accidental fall.
“Family members are left wondering what is happening to my loved ones, and they’re not being given any guidance,” Dominguez said. “It was extremely violent yesterday. I just really want to highlight how violent this was and that this is not just an attack on an immigrant community but on working class people.”
There are about 80 Customs and Border Protection-bonded facilities in New Jersey and New York, with Dominguez noting, “we may see more of these (raids).”
In July, ICE raided another CPB-bonded facility in Edison, Alba Wines and Spirits, arresting an estimated 20 people.
U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone (D-5), whose district includes Edison, criticized the Trump administration for the latest raid.
“Once again, President Trump is terrorizing our communities and raiding places of work,” Pallone said in a statement on Thursday. “Trump keeps suggesting that he is only arresting or deporting hardened criminals and gangsters. Yesterday’s raid in Edison is more proof his administration will stretch the law without a warrant. The warehouse workers were just trying to do their jobs when armed agents stormed in rounding up our neighbors without warning or cause, just to make a political point.”
In addition to Wednesday’s raid in Edison, ICE officers also conducted one on Bayard Street in Trenton on Thursday morning.
Trenton police didn’t participate in the action but video shows officers in patrol cars monitoring the scene. ICE called Trenton police because a member of a local community group repeatedly asked ICE officers if they had a warrant, Dominguez said.
Representatives from Radio Jornalera NJ who questioned Trenton police about their presence were told by officers that they are not a part of the raid.
“They said ‘we’re not getting involved, and (the activists) were like, but you are getting involved because you’re telling us to leave.”
One activist was arrested, Dominguez said.
Trenton police and the mayor’s office didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.
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New Jersey
Severe thunderstorm watch declared for much of North Jersey
How to protect your NJ home from wind: Video
Here’s how to windproof your home to minimize damage, and what to do if a tree falls on your property as a result of the weather
A severe thunderstorm watch looms over North Jersey on the evening of June 12 after days of extreme heat.
Nation Weather Service New York declared a severe thunderstorm watch for numerous North Jersey counties including Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Essex, Morris and Sussex among other Central Jersey and New York counties. The watch is in effect until 9 p.m., according to the NWS statement.
In an hourly forecast from The Weather Channel for Paramus, there is a 74% chance of thunderstorms at 7 p.m.
High temperatures reached past 90 degrees in many parts of North Jersey on June 11 and June 12 as a heat advisory also remains in effect until 8 p.m., said NWS New York.
New Jersey
Severe Storms, Dangerous Heat Targets NJ Friday
“Dangerous heat is expected to continue across much of our region through today, with several record highs likely to be challenged again. High temperatures are forecast to peak into the low to mid 90s across most of the area,” the National Weather Service said Friday.
A Heat Advisory is in effect until 8 p.m. across the state except for Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland and Salem counties.
New Jersey
New Jersey man sentenced to 6.5 years for fatal Lehigh Valley plane crash
PHILADELPHIA – Philip McPherson II, a 37-year-old from Riverside, New Jersey, was sentenced Thursday, June 11, to 78 months in prison for his role in a 2022 plane crash in Lehigh County that killed a student pilot, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Sentencing and charges for fatal Lehigh Valley crash
What we know:
United States District Judge John M. Gallagher sentenced McPherson to 78 months in prison, three years of supervised release, a $5,000 fine, a $4,300 special assessment, and $19,530 in restitution. Judge Gallagher also barred McPherson from working in the aviation industry.
McPherson pleaded guilty in October to involuntary manslaughter, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, obstruction of an administrative proceeding, and 40 counts of serving as an airman without a certificate.
The backstory:
Court filings show that on September 28, 2022, McPherson took off from Queen City Airport in Allentown as the pilot-in-command with student pilot K.K. and crashed shortly after, resulting in K.K.’s death.
Prosecutors said McPherson acted with gross negligence, knowing he was not competent to fly as pilot-in-command. He had two prior crashes, nearly a third, and failed a reexamination for his pilot’s certificate in September 2021.
McPherson voluntarily surrendered his pilot’s certificate in October 2021 and let his Temporary Airman Certificate expire in November 2021, acknowledging his inability to meet FAA standards.
He admitted to flying with passengers without a valid FAA pilot’s certificate between October 12, 2021, and September 20, 2022.
Investigators from the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, FAA, and Salisbury Township Police Department worked on the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Robert Schopf and Special Assistant United States Attorney Marie Miller.
What we don’t know:
Authorities have not released further details about the circumstances leading up to the crash.
The Source: Information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
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