46 arrested in Avenel warehouse immigration raid

By Alvin Wu
Domestic Affairs
46 arrested in Avenel warehouse immigration raid

CBP officers and CBP Special Response Team members form a perimeter around the raided warehouse. COSECHA NEW JERSEY/Facebook Live

AVENEL, N.J., Oct. 31 (ZFJ) — Federal immigration authorities arrested 46 people in a raid on a warehouse in the Avenel section of Woodbridge on Wednesday, Oct. 29.

The raid occurred at the warehouse of Italian-based logistics company Savino Del Bene located at 34 Engelhard Avenue, according to Cosecha New Jersey.

“The operation is part of DHS’ ongoing efforts to ensure compliance with customs and immigration regulations, safeguard the integrity of the supply chain, and verify that warehouse operators are adhering to all applicable security requirements,” said a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson in an emailed statement to The ZFJ.

The spokesperson added that the detainees made up “approximately 22% of the onsite workforce” and that they will be held in federal custody pending immigration proceedings.

CBP officers form a perimeter around the raided warehouse. COSECHA NEW JERSEY/Facebook Live

CBP officers form a perimeter around the raided warehouse. COSECHA NEW JERSEY/Facebook Live

News 12 New Jersey reported still seeing trucks entering and exiting the warehouse the same day after the raid.

The warehouse is customs bonded, which means importers can hold goods there without immediately paying import taxes. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has the authority to conduct surprise inspections of bonded warehouses at any time.

Invoking this inspection authority, a contingent of CBP officers entered the warehouse and allowed ICE to seize the detainees without a warrant.

This same tactic was used to raid the Edison warehouses of Alba Wine and Spirits in July and Smart Logistics and Freight Solutions in August. CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 21 and 29 workers respectively in these summer raids.

Immigrant advocates were notified of the raid, and members of Cosecha New Jersey and New Labor responded to the warehouse and livestreamed the perimeter of the raid on Facebook.

Livestream footage of a federal immigration raid on the Savino Del Bene warehouse in the Avenel section of Woodbridge, New Jersey, on Wednesday, Oct. 29. COSECHA NEW JERSEY/Facebook Live 　

These livestreams show uniformed federal agents with insignia from CBP and ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) branch participating in the raid. Many of the agents are masked, and some agents from the CBP Special Response Team (SRT) are dressed in military-style camouflage and carrying devices that have distinct orange parts and appear to be pepperball guns.

Agents formed a perimeter with marked CBP and unmarked vehicles. At one point in the livestream, a convoy of unmarked vans, SUVs, and cars exits the law enforcement perimeter.

A convoy of federal law enforcement vehicles exits the police perimeter. COSECHA NEW JERSEY/Facebook Live

A convoy of federal law enforcement vehicles exits the police perimeter. COSECHA NEW JERSEY/Facebook Live

At least one CBP SRT member is seen wearing a body camera. Most of the officers present do not appear to be wearing bodycams.

The mother of one worker that CBS News New York spoke to received a call from her son saying that he was being held in DHS custody at Delaney Hall in Newark.

The ZFJ called the Woodbridge mayor’s office and is waiting for a response. The Woodbridge Police Department referred The ZFJ to the mayor’s office for comment.

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