A New Jersey immigrant rights group wants local officials to investigate tactics used during an operation at a Trenton auto repair shop

Many questions remain unanswered after a law enforcement operation at a Trenton auto repair shop last week resulted in the arrest of three immigrant workers.

U.S. Marshals Service agents, assisted by Trenton police, went to Agudo’s Repair Shop on Feb. 20 with an arrest warrant for Eduardo Reyes. Trenton Police issued a press release stating that Reyes was wanted for assault by auto, leaving the scene of an accident and endangering an injured victim after the vehicle he was allegedly driving hit a pedestrian and he left the scene. Police said Reyes was also wanted for failing to appear in court on a charge of aggravated assault with a weapon in 2023.

Reyes was captured at a gas station near the repair shop after fleeing the scene, and authorities arrested two other individuals at the shop. Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora told WHYY News he believes one of those individuals was also wanted for criminal activity. He said the U.S. Marshals Service turned those men over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Reyes is currently in ICE’s custody at a detention center.

“This was done without the involvement of Trenton Police,” he said. “I agree that ICE should follow the Constitution. And shame on them for picking up everyday workers. It’s unfortunate in this instance that the U.S. Marshalls cooperated with ICE.”

Part of the Trenton Police Department press release said officers did not request, direct or participate in any immigration enforcement action. “In accordance with the New Jersey Immigrant Trust Directive, the Trenton Police Department does not engage in civil immigration enforcement and did not contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement regarding any individuals present at the time of the arrest,” the release states.

On Friday morning, immigrant rights group Resistencia en Accion held a press conference at St. Bartholomew Lutheran Church in Trenton.

Ana Paola Pazmino, the executive director of the group, said law enforcement agents at the scene wore vests that read “Police” and “Marshals.”

“We know that ICE agents often wear these police vests and we are deeply concerned about the presence of federal agents operating in our community in that manner,” she said.

She said the garage had a “private property” sign that made it clear they could not enter, although federal agents with a court-ordered warrant can enter private property. She also said surveillance video shows one man was violently arrested.

“During the interaction agents discovered a security camera and covered it. Before doing so, the footage shows an officer forcefully pressing a man with his face against an industrial chemical shelf,” she said.

She described this as an excessive use of power and said, “regardless of allegations, law enforcement should not be using this force on people.”

Pazmino said that while one individual may have been wanted by police, the other two who were arrested had no criminal records, were denied due process, and remain in ICE custody.

She said the behavior of law enforcement agents raises serious constitutional concerns.

“Our local government has the responsibility to protect the people who live and work in this community, they have the responsibility to ensure that federal immigration enforcement does not operate in ways that violate rights under their watch,” Pazmino said.

She called on local officials to conduct a full and transparent review of what took place and make a statement that clarifies any coordination between police and ICE.

Under New Jersey law, municipal governments and police departments do not have the authority to block U.S. Marshals and ICE agents from serving warrants and making arrests.

Earlier this month, Gov. Mikie Sherrill launched a Know York Rights online portal, where residents can upload cellphone videos of ICE activity. She said the information will help the state spot patterns and be used to hold ICE agents accountable. The portal also provides information for individuals and businesses that have interactions with ICE.

U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-Mercer, said in a statement on Facebook that she has been briefed about the incident and her office is monitoring the situation.

Pazmino said her organization is calling on members of the community to come together.

“Brown and Black immigrant communities and nonimmigrant communities are welcome, and should be uniting against this force,” she said.

She is also calling on local officials to assist relatives of those taken into custody.

“We need to support families affected by these kidnappings, with mutual aid, donations and anything else you think will help each other,” Pazmino said.

A woman identified as Andrea, while holding her 1-year-old daughter, Genesis, tearfully spoke in Spanish about the anguish she feels and her fears about the future without her husband Christian, one of the men taken into custody. A friend, who translated her word into English, said Christian was a good and honest man.

“If he used to see a neighbor carrying something heavy, he would run to help them. If a friend needed a favor, he didn’t ask, he just did it,” she said.

She said “his daughter was his whole world. He would wake up to her and give her kisses every morning. He would play with her after a long day at work. He loved us and protected us. He didn’t do anything wrong, so why was he taken?”

The Rev. Erich Kussman, St. Bartholomew’s pastor, said the entire Lutheran Church stands with the family.

“Anything you need, you can come to us. I want you to know that. I will stand with you, and we will do what we can to protect you, because that’s the call of the gospel of Jesus Christ,” he said.

“Standing with ICE is antithetical to the gospel of Jesus Christ, hands down,” he added. “Fifty-one times the scriptures tell us to welcome the immigrant and foreigner as one of our own. If you’re not living true to that gospel, the words of Christ himself, you are not a Christian, no matter what you claim to be.”

With immigration enforcement activity on the rise in New Jersey, lawmakers have proposed several bills to expand protections for immigrant communities. One measure called the “Fight Unlawful Conduct and Keep Individuals and Communities Empowered Act” would allow individuals to file a lawsuit against ICE agents who violate their constitutional rights.

Another proposed bill would require any business that operates a private prison or detention facility in the state to pay a tax equal to 50% of the taxpayer’s gross receipts derived from the operation of the facility during the previous year. The bill also stipulates all revenues generated would go to an “immigration protection fund.”

Recently proposed legislation would prohibit ICE agents from ever holding a public job in the Garden State, and New Jersey U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim are proposing legislation to prevent new funding for the Department of Homeland Security from being used to purchase a warehouse in Roxbury, New Jersey.

Requests for comment from ICE and the U.S. Marshals Service were not immediately returned.