29 arrested in immigration raid at Edison warehouse

By Alvin Wu
Domestic Affairs
29 arrested in immigration raid at Edison warehouse

CBP officers secure the perimeter of the immigration raid on the Smart Supply Chain warehouse in Edison on Aug. 20. DIRE/Facebook Live

EDISON, N.J., Nov. 1 (ZFJ) — Federal immigration authorities arrested 29 people in a raid on a warehouse in Edison on Aug. 20.

The raid occurred at the Smart Supply Chain Logistics and Freight Solutions warehouse at 45 Patrick Avenue.

The arrest figure comes from the Edison mayor’s office, which distributed a statement to media organizations. The ZFJ was unable to obtain the statement firsthand despite repeated emails, phone calls, and an in-person visit to town hall, and is thus referencing other outlets’ reporting here.

Edison authorities told the media that they received advance notice of a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) operation in the area and, in line with state law, local police did not assist federal immigration agents with the raid.

A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed to Univision that federal agents had conducted a surprise inspection at an Edison warehouse.

The warehouse is customs bonded, which means importers can hold goods there without immediately paying import taxes. 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 warehouse of Alba Wine and Spirits in July. CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 21 workers in that raid.

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