By Sophia Ricciardelli
ICE arrested 12 people during an Aug. 14, 2026, enforcement operation “near Morristown,” according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Mayor Tim Dougherty initially told Morristown Green that at least two people had been arrested that morning. Dougherty said ICE agents had been spotted on Lincoln Street, Martin Luther King Avenue, and Speedwell Avenue, but at the time, he did not know the full extent of the operation.
Six days after Morristown Green asked DHS for details about the arrests, the agency over the weekend identified five of the 12 people.
Tomas Mejia Suar, of Guatemala, had been removed from the United States twice in 2019 after entering the country unlawfully, according to DHS. The agency said Perth Amboy police arrested him for simple assault in 2021 and that he has a conviction for illegal reentry.
Douglas Ernesto Lopez-Mendoza, of Honduras, was encountered by U.S. Border Patrol in January 2024 and released, DHS said. Mount Olive police arrested him for shoplifting in January 2026.
The three others identified by DHS were Guatemalan nationals for whom the agency provided no criminal history.
Juan Tinuar-Cipriano had been removed in 2018 before reentering the country at an unknown date and location, according to DHS. Reginaldo Romero-Jimenez was encountered by the U.S. Border Patrol in 2013 and ordered removed by an immigration judge in Newark in 2015. Marcelino Huinil Perez was removed three times in April 2002 before reentering at an unknown date, DHS said in a statement.
The department did not identify the remaining seven people arrested in the operation. For the five it did identify, the agency provided little information beyond their immigration and criminal histories, omitting their ages, specific arrest locations, where they are being detained, and details about upcoming removal hearings, all of which Morristown Green had requested.
Morristown Green has sent follow-up questions seeking clarification.
This marks at least the third ICE sweep involving Morristown this year. Eleven people, including a Morristown High School senior, were arrested in January, followed by two more arrests last month.
The sweeps are part of a broader immigration crackdown the Trump administration repeatedly has promoted as targeting dangerous, violent criminals.
“What we’re doing is we’re looking at the worst of the worst,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin told Breitbart News in June. “We’re going after people that have felonies, that have active felonies on them.”
In a statement to the Associated Press last month, DHS said it had been “delivering on President Trump’s promise to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members, and terrorists.”
DHS said the individuals most recently arrested near Morristown are detained and either in removal proceedings or in the process of being removed from the United States.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, if you break the law, you will face the consequences,” the agency said. “Criminal illegal aliens are unwelcome in the U.S.”
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One of the people not mentioned is a totally innocent person with absolutely no criminal record. Rigoberto Castillo Gomez is a man who would not hurt a fly and is loved by all who know him. He is a great father and husband, God fearing Catholic who gives thanks to God in each hello. He has been in this country for 22 years, filing and paying taxes always along with Social Security. He and his wife applied for naturalization 17 years ago and are still waiting!!! He unfortunately forgot to renew his work visa this year so when ICE came to pick up one of his workers they grabbed RIGO too. He was collateral damage and was sent to Delaney Hall. After obtaining legal counsel and having his hearing adjourned last Friday, he was shipped off to Louisiana with no warning, no explanation. His wife was naturally hysterical when she could not find him. No one knows why he was moved or what will happen next. This man is a victim of the system, not a criminal. He only helps people, never has hurt anyone. I know he forgot to renew his visa because he works 7 days 12-14 hours a day so he never took a day off because he would not let his customers down. Please pray for him, for his release asap. He has a 15 year old son who is trying to keep his business going but will have to return to school soon. Any help, advice or support is welcome. My daughter started a Go Fund Me Page on Facebook to help with legal expenses. Although I originally supported the idea of ICE detaining hardened criminals who had committed rape and murders they are now out of control and do not use discretion in their actions. The man that they took from Lincoln St. is NOT a criminal!