NJ Congresswoman Spread ‘Fear And Misinformation’ ICE Says

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — Federal immigration officials are pushing back against statements by US Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman regarding a Feb. 20 enforcement action at a Trenton auto repair shop, saying her account was false and contributed to fear and misinformation in the community.

Watson Coleman, who represents New Jersey's 12th Congressional District, posted that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents covered security cameras and detained multiple individuals without a warrant during the operation. ICE disputed each of those claims.

According to ICE, the arrests were carried out by federal partners acting on a court-ordered criminal warrant and were not an ICE-led operation. The agency said cameras were not covered and no auto repair shop was raided.

ICE agents entered Agudo's Repair Shop on Feb. 20, according to advocacy group Resistencia en Accion NJ. They then went on to detain three employees.

The group said security camera footage from inside the shop shows agents restraining one worker with his face against a shelf before covering the camera with a cardboard box after apparently noticing they were being recorded.

According to ICE, the primary target of the operation was Eduardo Reyes, a Guatemalan national in the country illegally who was wanted on charges including aggravated assault, weapons offenses, assault by auto, leaving the scene of an accident, and endangering the victim, officials said. ICE lodged an immigration detainer on Reyes following his arrest.

Two other men were also taken into custody: Cristian Moreno-Posso, a Colombian national with a final order of removal issued in October 2024, and Jorge Luis Lemus Urliz, a Guatemalan national who entered the United States without inspection. Both remain detained, officials said.

"Regrettably, some sanctuary politicians in New Jersey misrepresent ICE's clear legal authority established by Congress, resorting to fearmongering and misinformation even after receiving the facts," said Arthur J. Wilson Jr., acting field office director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in Newark.

"During the execution of the federal warrant, officers followed lawful procedure of notifying ICE about the individuals illegally present in the United States they encountered and arrested.”

Patch has reached out to Watson Coleman's office with a request for comment.

ICE said it is expanding operations under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, citing a 120 percent increase in workforce and new funding for detention facilities.

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