New Jersey
Illegal immigrant accused of assaulting NJ teen could be released under sanctuary policies, ICE warns
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A criminal illegal immigrant accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in New Jersey could soon be released under the state’s sanctuary policies, prompting federal immigration officials to issue a warning to local leaders.
Gerardo Garcia Gonzalez, a criminal illegal immigrant from Mexico, was arrested by the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office on charges of sexual assault of a victim between 13 and 15 years old, criminal sexual contact and sexual assault by force or coercion.
After illegally entering the U.S. in 2001, Gonzalez was returned to Mexico and later re-entered the country at an unknown time, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“This pedophile should NEVER have been in our country and able to prey on children in the first place,” Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement. “We are calling on New Jersey sanctuary politicians to NOT release this predator charged with sexually assaulting a child from jail into New Jersey neighborhoods.”
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Gerardo Garcia Gonzalez, a Mexican national previously deported from the United States, was arrested by the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office on charges including sexual assault of a minor between 13 and 15 years old. (Department of Homeland Security)
Bis continued, “This is the exact reason we need sanctuary jurisdictions to work with us. No one should want this sicko to be on our streets.”
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requested that Gonzalez not be released under the state’s sanctuary policies.
DHS said the request follows proposals by New Jersey politicians for legislation and executive orders “designed to demonize our brave ICE law enforcement.”
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Gerardo Garcia Gonzalez was arrested in Ocean County on charges including sexual assault of a minor, as Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s administration faces scrutiny over the state’s sanctuary policies. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images; DHS)
Last month, two state Democratic assembly members introduced the F—ICE Act, formally known as the “Fight Unlawful Conduct and Keep Individuals and Communities Empowered Act.”
The legislation would permit civil action for alleged violations of the U.S. Constitution related to immigration enforcement.
The bill was drafted after a Democratic Socialist councilman was confronted by a federal agent after arriving at the scene of a raid on the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, where an agent told him, “I don’t need a warrant, bro.”
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New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed Executive Order 12 restricting certain immigration enforcement activities on state property shortly after taking office in January. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)
“This is a disgusting bill just meant to demonize our officers who are experiencing a highly coordinated campaign of violence against our law enforcement,” Bis previously told Fox News Digital.
Shortly after taking office in January, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed Executive Order 12, which restricts ICE activities on state property and creates a portal for residents to report immigration enforcement activity in their communities.
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit last month against New Jersey and Sherrill, accusing the state of expanding its sanctuary policies and obstructing federal immigration enforcement through the executive order.
DHS said the actions come as law enforcement officers face a 1,300% increase in assaults and an 8,000% increase in death threats.
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Fox News Digital reached out to Sherrill’s office and the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office for comment.
Fox News Digital’s Charles Creitz and Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
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NEW YORK (WABC) — The Gateway Commission says workers have returned to construction sites on Thursday, but work may have to stop in the next two to three months if they don’t get the next round of federal funding.
President Trump said last year that he wanted to terminate the Gateway Tunnel project.
You may remember construction stopped last month because there was a freeze on funding, and the Gateway Commission, New Jersey and New York all filed separate federal lawsuits.
Flash forward to now: Construction is continuing for the time being after an appeals court rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to halt payments.
But officials say if they do not continue to get rounds of funding, construction will stop again.
This is a $16 billion project that will construct a new two-track rail tunnel under the Hudson River connecting New York and New Jersey, and fix the existing North River Tunnel, which has been in service since 1910.
Local and state leaders have been going back and forth with the president trying to keep this project on track.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill said, “What we’ve seen over and over and over again is when Trump gets involved, costs go up for working people. He seems to be the only person making money in this economy, and gas prices are just the newest indicator of that.”
Looking ahead to another tunnel project: NJ Transit passengers have been dealing with a month of delays and changes due to the Portal Bridge project.
Amtrak is transferring rail service from the old Portal Bridge to the new one over the Hackensack River.
For the past month, crews have been working on one of the tracks, and the good news is it’s expected to be completed by the end of this weekend.
So, NJ Transit schedules should be back to normal on Monday, and commuters will be able to ride over the new bridge on the new track.
It’s important to note that this is just phase one that will be completed, so later this year in the fall, phase two of construction for the other track will begin for the Portal Bridge project, and there will be another month of delays and schedule changes at that time.
Thursday, officials will take a ceremonial ride across the newly completed section of the Portal Bridge.
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Scrap metal burned for more than 24 hours
Firefighting efforts lasted more than 24 hours until Wednesday morning when thermal imagery showed the fire extinguished, according to the Coast Guard’s Petty Officer First Class Matthew West.
The Delaware Emergency Management Agency assisted the Coast Guard in its response.
“Multiple fire companies worked diligently to extinguish the fire, while state agencies and the U.S. Coast Guard coordinated resources to support response operations and minimize impacts to federal waterways, coastal communities, and the surrounding environment,” according to a statement by the Delaware Emergency Management Agency.
It remains unclear what exactly was burning or what was released into the atmosphere from the scrap metal, but it was likely “a very toxic mix,” according to Jane Clougherty, professor of environmental and occupational health at Drexel University.
“Remember that because this is scrap metal, it’s from an earlier era, potentially, when a lot of lead was used, both in metals and in the paints on those metals,” Clougherty said.
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