MONTCLAIR, NJ — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained four men Monday morning near Elm Street and Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair, according to local reporting and video shared from the scene.
The operation took place near an Exxon gas station and Firestone location, with residents reporting federal agents in the area between approximately 8 and 8:30 a.m.
Video posted online shows several agents surrounding a red pickup truck and pulling one man from the vehicle. According to the social media account that shared the footage, agents broke a window during the arrest and later moved the truck up the block. The agents were described as wearing ERO vests, referring to ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division.
Patch, citing Montclair Local, confirmed that four people were detained on Elm Street near Bloomfield Avenue and that video showed agents removing a person from a pickup truck near a gas station.
The social media post also claimed that the four men were undocumented immigrants and that the red pickup truck had been purchased with taxpayer-funded assistance. Those specific claims were not independently confirmed in the local reporting reviewed for this article.
Montclair police were reportedly not involved in the operation, and residents said local officers had not been notified in advance.
Image/video Source: Kim “Katie” USA; @KimKatieUSA / X
ICE activity was also reported in nearby Bloomfield on Monday, where at least one additional person was taken into custody, according to the Bloomfield Immigrant Justice Network.
The Montclair arrests come amid continued federal immigration enforcement activity across Essex County, including operations reported in Newark, Belleville, Maplewood and South Orange.
The incident is likely to add to ongoing debate over federal immigration enforcement in New Jersey, particularly around local notification, vehicle stops and ICE operations carried out in busy commercial and residential areas.
Sources: Patch Montclair | Montclair Local, as cited by Patch | Kim “Katie” USA / X —
By NJ RADAR Team