ICE Raid on NJ Supermarket Detains 18, Stuns Lakewood
On June 24, 2026, immigration agents descended on El Oaxaqueño, a Mexican supermarket in downtown Lakewood, New Jersey, detaining 18 immigrants in what a New York Times investigation has revealed to be one of the largest immigration sweeps in the region since federal enforcement operations were quietly revamped this summer. The raid, which had not previously been reported by the news media, plunged the town of more than 143,000 residents into fear and has become a flashpoint in the broader national debate over immigration enforcement.
The Raid
More than half a dozen SUVs swarmed the supermarket’s parking lot as federal immigration officers leaped out. Customers and workers scrambled to hide—upstairs, in the bathroom, and behind crates of produce in the walk-in refrigerator. Agents found them and, one by one, zip-tied their hands and whisked them out the back door.
El Oaxaqueño, located at 118 Clifton Avenue, is more than just a grocery store. It includes a restaurant, bakery, and a cantina serving steak-stuffed tacos on freshly made tortillas—a community gathering place in the heart of Lakewood’s growing Latino neighborhood.
Mr. Garcia, an immigrant who was detained in the raid, described the encounter in Spanish: “I told them they weren’t authorized to enter the store, but they told me they didn’t care.” Garcia said he entered the United States illegally about 20 years ago and settled in Lakewood because he had cousins there.
Another detainee, Mr. Velez, who was released with help from a lawyer while his deportation case is heard in immigration courts, offered a stark assessment: “They’re in their country here in the United States, and we’re here illegally from Mexico.”
A Broader Enforcement Campaign
The Lakewood raid is part of a much larger federal enforcement effort. ICE agents have fanned out across the country under orders to make 2,000 immigration arrests a day—roughly double the pace from this spring. The new approach is more discreet and dexterous than the highly visible raids in large cities last year, surprising towns, suburbs, and cities across the United States.
In New Jersey, the impact has been particularly pronounced. ICE arrested more than 2,100 people in the state in July 2026—the most in one month since President Trump returned to power and more than double the roughly 850 to 950 people the agency was arresting monthly from February to May. More than 10,800 people have been detained statewide during the first 16 months of the administration.
The New York Times investigation, based on a review of videos, court records, and interviews with more than a dozen lawyers, employers, and immigrants detained in New Jersey and their relatives, found that ICE has continued to cast a wide net to arrest anyone in the United States unlawfully, regardless of criminal record.
Lakewood at the Center
Federal data shows ICE arrested 114 people in Lakewood between February 2025 and May 2026, making it one of the most active locations for ICE operations in Ocean County. The town, one of New Jersey’s fastest-growing communities, is home to a large Orthodox Jewish population alongside a growing Latino community. The downtown is dotted with a mix of Hebrew signs and Mexican flags, and many immigrants work as landscapers and housekeepers for Lakewood’s Orthodox Jewish residents.
The June 24 raid at El Oaxaqueño was not the first in the area. An earlier ICE operation at the same supermarket resulted in 10 arrests, and on July 11, approximately 20 arrests were reported at a house in Lakewood. The store’s security cameras have recorded ICE officers chasing people in downtown Lakewood, forcing the market to lock its doors for several hours as a precaution.
Community Response
The raid sparked immediate and sustained community backlash. Daily protests began in Lakewood on June 27, and by June 30, at least 50 protesters had gathered near the Lakewood Municipal Building.
Rose Marie Varela, a U.S. Marine veteran and protest organizer from Freehold Township, said: “A lot of our people don’t have a voice. They need basic rights, ICE is a violation.”
Students at Lakewood High School—which is more than 85% Hispanic and includes hundreds of immigrants or children of immigrants—have been at the forefront of the demonstrations. Kimberly Carpintero, a student, described witnessing the aftermath: “I saw a mother who was taken (by ICE) and they left her child alone. We want to stop these ICE raids so people can feel safe.”
Moises Mendez, another student, said: “My parents had to close the store because they were afraid. It was scary to see how anyone could be taken away.”
The DIRE hotline (Deportation and Immigration Response Equipo), which provides support to families affected by ICE enforcement, has seen calls double from 15-20 per day to 40-80 per day as anxiety has spread through immigrant communities across New Jersey.
Analysis and Implications
The Lakewood raid illustrates a significant shift in ICE enforcement strategy. Under the current administration, the agency has moved away from the highly publicized, large-scale operations in major cities toward a more targeted but pervasive approach that reaches into smaller communities. Congress approved an extra $70 billion for ICE in June 2026, and the agency has hired hundreds of additional officers to expand operations nationwide.
ICE has not released its biweekly report showing arrest and detention numbers since early April 2026, raising concerns among advocates about transparency. The Washington Post has reported a daily average of 1,400 arrests in the first 12 days of July 2026.
An ICE spokesperson defended the enforcement actions, stating: “The arrested individuals include multiple who illegally entered the U.S. during the Biden administration’s open border crisis. All individuals are currently detained and are either in removal proceedings or in the process of being removed from the United States in accordance with U.S. immigration law.”
New Jersey’s Immigrant Trust Directive limits cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities, but that has not prevented ICE from conducting operations in the state. Enforcement has been concentrated in Hackensack, Plainfield, Freehold, and Lakewood.
What’s Next
The raid at El Oaxaqueño and the ongoing protests in Lakewood highlight the deep divisions over immigration policy in the United States. For the immigrant community in Lakewood, the fear is palpable—residents describe a town where anyone could be taken at any moment.
Lakewood Mayor Ray Coles did not respond to requests for comment, and the town’s police chief, Gregory Meyer, has not publicly addressed the raids. As deportation cases work their way through the immigration courts and protests continue, the community remains on edge, waiting to see what enforcement actions may come next.
The New York Times investigation serves as a stark reminder that immigration enforcement under the current administration extends far beyond the headlines of major city raids—reaching into the daily lives of small-town America.