ICE Arrests US Citizen In NJ, Locks Him In Cell, Feds Say

PASSAIC COUNTY, NJ — A Passaic County resident and US citizen was detained by ICE last week after federal officials said he "provoked agents," according to federal officials

Brandon Domena, a lifelong Passaic County resident, was thrown in a cell by ICE for five hours on Thursday after a confrontation with the federal agency, according to News12.

The Department of Homeland Security told Patch that ICE officers were in the process of arresting Alvaro Narveza Hidalgo, "a criminal illegal alien from Mexico" who was reportedly arrested in 2011 for domestic violence.

During the arrest, a crowd of people, including Domena, formed around the agents. Federal officials called the group "anti-ICE agitators."

ICE says that during the confrontation, Domena spit in the direction of one of the agents.

He was arrested for potential prosecution on charges related to assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers, ICE says.

"During the arrest, he actively resisted and kicked an officer," a DHS spokesperson told Patch.

Domena, after being released from ICE, told News12 NJ that the agent apologized to him.

“Nobody feels safe with them here," Domena told News12. "They came and threw me on the ground right here, and threw me in the back of their vehicle. All these bruises and marks on my hands.”

Domena added that he was deprived of water, a bathroom, medical attention, and access to a phone while being held, the report says.

Click here to read the full News12 report.