Federal immigration raids in New Jersey and upstate New York have led to the detention of dozens of workers, sparking fresh criticism from rights groups and state officials.
In New Jersey, video shared on social media showed a man wearing a vest marked HSI — Homeland Security Investigations — ordering construction crews at a warehouse site to stop all activity.
Agents carrying a search warrant quickly moved in, directing workers in safety vests to leave the area.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene as federal teams, supported by state troopers and the Georgia department of public safety, spread through the site and detained multiple workers.
At nearly the same time, a second large operation unfolded in New York state. Officers forced entry into the Nutrition Bar Confectioners facility near Syracuse, a family-run business producing snack bars.
Local reports said dozens of employees were taken into custody during the raid.
Governor Kathy Hochul strongly condemned the New York arrests, saying families had been torn apart, with some children facing the possibility of returning home from school to find their parents gone.
She stressed that while the state supports efforts to remove violent offenders, it will not tolerate operations that separate families and leave children without care.
Immigrant advocacy organizations also reacted with anger. The group Rural & Migrant Ministry estimated that more than 70 workers were detained during the New York raid.
Rights defenders argue that many of those arrested had no criminal background, echoing concerns that recent federal operations have increasingly targeted non-criminal migrants despite earlier pledges to focus on dangerous offenders.
The raids add to growing tension over immigration enforcement, as Washington faces pressure both to strengthen border security and to address humanitarian concerns over how enforcement is carried out in local communities.