Abduction
I have a family member who owns a landscaping and maintenance business in Bergen and Hudson Counties. In late July, an employee who commutes by bus got off at his usual stop in Palisades Park at 6am and was immediately abducted by unidentified masked ICE agents. This 20-year-old immigrant, who is in this country legally with green card status and no criminal record, was not afforded an opportunity to speak his truth. He was just another person who fit the bill. He was brought to Delaney Hall in Newark. My family member was notified of this and after researching his options, the quickest way to help his employee was to hire a lawyer who was able to go inside Delaney Hall to meet with him. The documentation was provided and reviewed, and the judge ordered his release. This process took a few weeks, and in that time, he was transferred to a detention facility in California. He was subsequently put on a bus to Newark with no resources. He returned ill and traumatized. He was released from Newark on August 10th. He is one of the more fortunate ones who have been abducted. He came home. ICE agents are all over New Jersey. Many Bergen and Hudson County towns are feeling the effects. Immigrants are afraid to shop, work, or attend religious services for fear of abduction. Who will protect the children when school starts in September? Shop owners are losing business. Employees are losing workers. Neighbors are losing friends. Families are losing loved ones. This cannot be the new normal. We cannot look away. We need to stand up for one another, protect one another, lift each other up and love one another.
Closter resident, 67