ICE enforcement in Morris County, N.J. leads to community meeting
A public meeting was held on Tuesday night in Morris County, New Jersey, after shots were fired earlier in the day in Roxbury Township during a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation.
Dozens of people packed two rooms and spoke out against ICE.
Purpose of the ICE enforcement in Roxbury Township
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said ICE was conducting a targeted enforcement to arrest Jesus Lopez-Banegas, but said he tried to evade arrest, rammed into a law enforcement vehicle, and attempted to run over an officer.
DHS released a statement saying, in part, "Following his training, the officer defensively used his firearm and shot out the tires of the vehicle to stop the threat."
Officials said no one was injured and Banegas was taken into custody.
DHS said Banegas is from Honduras and came illegally to the U.S., adding a judge ordered his removal in 2021. The agency said he has a criminal history that includes charges for drug trafficking, drug possession, and driving under the influence.
Residents say they have hard time taking DHS at its word
"I was born here, but I'm still nervous. It does not go by me every day to think that I could be stopped," Roxbury Township resident Sharon Medina said at Tuesday night's meeting.
"I saw a video earlier today where the gentleman was not in a car and there was a gun drawn facing him in the street in our area," resident Diana May said, later adding, "I wish I could say that I believed our government officials, but I no longer do, because we heard these same things with Renee Good and with Alex Pretti in Minnesota and they're not true."
Medina said the incident happened too close to home.
"[It] made me very upset. As a person of color, as a Latina, a proud Latina, we don't feel safe going out," Medina told CBS News New York.
Residents are now calling for a full investigation. New Jersey Acting Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said her team is doing just that and is asking anyone with video or information to come forward.
