St. Paul's Church Member Victim of Immigration Raid

Candace Braun

A three-year Franklin Township resident and member of St. Paul's Catholic Church in Princeton was taken from his residence on Route 27, just north of Kingston, last week as part of an immigration raid.

The man, a Guatemalan described as a self-employed building contractor in his 30s, has two daughters, ages eight years and eight months, both legal U.S. citizens. The names of the man and his wife, also a Guatemalan immigrant, are currently being withheld, said Princeton immigration rights activist Maria Juega.

Ms. Juega, who was at the scene of the raid by Immigration Customs and Enforcement officials (ICE), said that there was initially no response when they arrived, and that all doors were locked. After approximately two hours the man finally came out and was taken to a facility in Cherry Hill, and then to the Elizabeth Detention Center.

Ms. Juega said that one of the reasons the couple wants to stay in the country concerns the health of their eight-year-old daughter, who has a serious brain abnormality and requires extensive medical care.

This raid is among more than a dozen that have already taken place over the last year in the Central New Jersey area, said Ms. Juega. Other local raids include one that took place early this winter when a McCaffrey's supermarket employee was removed from the store, and another last fall, when eight men were removed from a Witherspoon Street residence.