Somebody Came Knocking On NJ Teen's Door At Night. Was It ICE?

No one really knows if ICE, as President Trump had threatened, followed through on its planned raids. But one New Jersey teen reportedly thought she was going to be taken.

And because she knew how to handle it, she stayed where she was, in Passaic, according to Make The Road New Jersey Director Sara Cullinane.

Cullinane confirmed a story in The New York Times that reported a New Jersey teen was wakened at about 1 a.m. Sunday by a knock on the door from people she believed to be ICE agents.

The unidentified teen had seen numerous posts on Instagram advising her of her rights, so she knew not to open it, according to The New York Times.

Cullinane said her immigrants' rights group has been in touch with the family and the teen appears to be safe for now.

"It's pretty amazing," she said. "That's why knowing your rights is so important."

Cullinane also said she doesn't know if the raids were actually conducted, or if they were merely an empty threat. Her group was not aware of any other raids in New Jersey.

"It's really hard to know if this was a fear tactic or if they were planning anything," she said.

Adrian Smith, an ICE spokesperson, released this statement to Patch:

"Due to law-enforcement sensitivities and the safety and security of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, the agency will not offer specific details related to enforcement operations. As always, ICE prioritizes the arrest and removal of unlawfully present aliens who pose a threat to national security, public safety and border security.

"In fact, 90 percent of aliens arrested by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations component in FY2018 had either a criminal conviction(s), pending criminal charge(s), were an ICE fugitive, or illegally reentered the country after previously being removed. However, all of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and – if found removable by final order – removal from the United States."

In the Times report, the teen said she was told this after she heard a knock at 1 a.m.: “We need to talk to you. Can you come outside? Can you open the door?"

The teen then said: "Do you have permission to come inside my house, do you have a paper?’” They didn't, but still wanted to talk, according to The Times.

More arrived later and surrounded the house with flashlights, banging on the door and window, according to The Times. The teen ran upstairs to be with her parents, and they hid in the dark, according to the report.

The knockers left again.