Two individuals were apprehended in northern New Jersey during a joint immigration enforcement operation involving the FBI’s Newark Field Office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Mahwah Police Department, officials said.
Both were sheltering in New Jersey, which Governor Phil Murphy declared an immigration sanctuary state.
According to officials, one of the arrestees is wanted in connection with a homicide in Colombia. That individual had an outstanding international arrest warrant and was apprehended during targeted enforcement operations in Mahwah, a township in Bergen County.
Currently, no one knows their names.
The arrests are part of a larger national operation by federal authorities to seek and seize those who may represent a threat to public safety or are in violation of US immigration law.
The second individual, apprehended during the same operation, was held on unrelated immigration charges. Both persons are now in federal custody, awaiting additional legal actions.
Because of the ongoing nature of the investigation and extradition considerations, the FBI and ICE have not released the individuals’ names. Colombian authorities are reportedly cooperating with US officials on the murder suspect’s return.
“Federal and local partnerships are critical to protecting our communities and ensuring justice across borders,” a law enforcement officer participating in the operation stated.
The arrests were part of a nationwide pattern of immigration enforcement efforts that have ramped up recently, federal officials acknowledged.
