ICE Rounds Up 12 In Latest Morristown Raid, Feds Say

At least five of the dozen rounded up last week had criminal histories, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

By Jack Slocum, Patch Staff

Aug 25, 2026 11:29 AM EDT

MORRISTOWN, NJ — The Department of Homeland Security has confirmed that a dozen people were arrested during a recent raid in the Morristown area.

On Aug. 14, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted an operation that resulted in the arrest of 12 people, officials confirmed.

Federal officials did not confirm exactly where the arrests took place, other than saying the operations unfolded "near Morristown."

The DHS identified five of the 12 people arrested and provided the following information on them:

"Tomas Mejia Suar, of Guatemala, was voluntarily returned when he first crossed the border unlawfully on August 21, 2005. He was issued a final order of removal on April 8, 2019, and removed on May 23, 2019. Mejia Suar entered again unlawfully on August 24, 2019, and was removed again on October 1, 2019. On May 9, 2021, the Perth Amboy Police Department arrested him for simple assault. He also has a conviction for illegal reentry.
Douglas Ernesto Lopez-Mendoza, of Honduras, was encountered by U.S. Border Patrol on January 9, 2024, and released under the Biden administration. The Mount Olive Police Department arrested him for shoplifting on January 10, 2026.
Juan Tinuar-Cipriano, of Guatemala, illegally reentered the U.S. at an unknown date and location after his August 28, 2018 removal from the United States.
Reginaldo Romero-Jimenez, of Guatemala, was encountered by U.S. Border Patrol on May 15, 2013, and ordered removed by a DOJ immigration judge in Newark, New Jersey, on January 14, 2015.
Marcelino Huinil Perez, of Guatemala, unlawfully entered the United States at least three times in April, 2002. After U.S. Border Patrol encountered him, he elected to voluntarily return and was removed each time. He later unlawfully reentered the United States at an unknown date."

It's not clear what criminal histories, if any, the remaining six detainees have. It's also not clear why the DHS decided not to identify the other six who were arrested.

"All individuals are currently detained and receiving due process, either in removal proceedings or in the process of being removed from the United States in accordance with U.S. immigration law," the DHS told Patch. "Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, if you break the law, you will face the consequences. Criminal illegal aliens are unwelcome in the U.S."

This raid comes after two people were arrested by ICE in Morristown last month. Months before, in January, more than a dozen people were rounded up by masked agents, including a Morristown High School student.