A Morristown sidewalk was the scene of a heated confrontation Thursday morning when a federal immigration officer appeared to shove a woman who was shooting video of an enforcement action while a Morristown police officer stood watching.
The video, posted on social media, shows an unmasked immigration officer wearing a helmet and military-style uniform marked “POLICE ICE” but no badge, noticing the woman coming closer. He approaches her swiftly, and then the camera is jostled.
“You’re in the crime scene…get out!” the federal agent says.
“Did you just assault me? …this is a public sidewalk,” responds the woman, surrounded by activists who decried the raid as an attempt to terrorize and intimidate the community. A school bus passes in the background.
A moment earlier, a Morristown officer politely asked onlookers to keep their distance. The mayor’s office later issued a statement saying town police had responded to an ICE request for crowd control at 8 Abbett Ave., where 10 to 15 bystanders had gathered around 9 am.
Per state law and departmental policy, Morristown police “do not participate in or assist with ICE immigration enforcement operations, and officers were assigned to the scene solely to ensure the safety of residents, bystanders, and everyone in the surrounding area,” said the statement, asserting police had no prior knowledge that ICE was coming.
Morristown Green has reached out to the federal Department of Homeland Security for information about any arrests on Thursday.
It was the latest in a year-long series of ICE sweeps in Morristown that started with January arrests of 11 people, including a high school student at a laundromat and a father separated from his 6-year-old daughter. Thursday’s episode appears to be the closest encounter so far between ICE and Morristown police.
‘DON’T TEST ME’
Residents had spread a morning alert to Latino parents about an ICE SUV spotted near a school bus stop at the corner of Abbett and Emmett avenues, said Karen Walsh of Morristown Together, a grassroots watchdog group.
“It’s mind blowing to me that on this side of town, my privileged friends are getting their kids off to school, letting their kids walk to their bus by themselves. But on the other side of the town, the same people in their community, the same people that they go to school with, are being terrorized. Like, how is this possible? We can’t do this,” Walsh said.
“These continued ICE raids here in Morristown and in communities throughout our country have led to devastating consequences including the deaths of several people during clashes between residents and ICE agents, and our priority in this matter was to stop something terrible like that from happening,” said Mayor Tim Dougherty.
He defended Morristown police for acting “appropriately and professionally” to protect the public and maintain peace, and said the community stands “against President Trump’s attacks on immigrants.”
“We will continue working with immigration advocates to ensure that residents know their rights and have access to legal counsel, and our officers remain committed to protecting and serving all members of our community,” Dougherty said.
A second video online purports to show an Hispanic man confronting the same federal agent, demanding to know why he was separating families. The Hispanic man identifies himself as a U.S. citizen, and then is warned to stay clear of a “crime scene.”
“Don’t test me…you may be an American, but you cannot violate the law,” the agent says.
The woman shooting the other video, whose identity is unclear, pressed the federal officer for his name, noting Morristown police had names on their uniforms.
“I am not a police officer,” the agent advised. “I am a federal agent. I am the most well known officer here. I don’t hide anything.”
When told to stop shaking, the woman responded she had been “bodychecked” and intended to file an assault complaint. “Where’s your injury?” the federal officer challenged.
He gave his “identifier” number. “That’s all you get.”
“So you’re Gestapo…you’re Secret Police,” the woman said. Eventually, the federal agent returned to the enforcement action.
“Have a nice day,” he told the woman.
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This article kind of reads like a parody. Karen Walsh is well-named. On one hand you are allowed to photograph or film law enforcement in a place in which you are allowed to be. But you can’t get close enough to interfere.
I actually thought it was funny how the mayor voices his love of lawbreaker – both illegals and the Karens out there.
Go ICE!