Feds Storm Newark, NJ Seafood Warehouse, Detaining 15 and Sparking Outrage From Activists

NEWARK, NJ - There may be a seafood shortage in Newark-area restaurants this week, after federal agents raided a wholesale seafood distribution company in the city on Wednesday, taking 13 individuals into custody, ABC7 (WABC) reports. 

The outlet reported that early in the morning, “heavily armed, masked federal agents, along with members of the FBI,” raided Ocean Seafood Depot, located on Adams Street in Newark. As has become the norm nationwide, supporters of illegal aliens showed up to protest the raid. 

The Wednesday operation was the second such raid this year, with the first coming last January, resulting in workers being removed from the building. One worker told WABC that he was initially taken into custody, but was later released. 

“I’m not doing well because of what happened,” he said in Spanish. “I don’t feel well because of what happened, because of what happened to my colleagues. I cannot answer any questions.” 

Yet another man said he hasn’t heard from his mother, who has worked at the company and has not been seen since the raid, the Thursday report said. 

“She told me police were here, so I came to see what was happening,” the man said in Spanish. When a reporter asked him when he last spoke to his mother, he said it was when she texted him. 

WABC said the scene became tense outside as workers and protesters “came face to face,” reporting that “the situation almost got out of hand.” 

Just after noon, the caravan of federal officers left the company. Employees not taken into custody were allowed to return to their jobs; however, pro-illegal alien activists were described as being “up in arms.” 

One activist, Kathy O’Leary, who apparently found time away from work to protest the raid, called it “a stunt.” 

“This is them trying to terrorize the community,” she complained. 

A DHS spokesperson released a statement, stating:

"On November 19, while executing a search warrant as part of a criminal investigation, ICE arrested 13 illegal aliens employed at Ocean Seafood Depot in Newark, New Jersey. 

Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to protect public safety, national security, and economic stability while rescuing individuals who may be victims of labor trafficking or exploitation.

Additionally, the employment of illegal aliens also incentivizes dangerous and illegal practices, including Social Security fraud,” the statement continued. “As we saw during a recent worksite operation in Nebraska, many illegal aliens use stolen Social Security numbers and identities to unlawfully obtain wages, health benefits, and employment authorization. Behind every stolen Social Security number uncovered [in] these operations is a real American: mothers, fathers, students, and disabled workers–now facing devastating financial, emotional, and legal fallout.”