ICE officer struck by vehicle during apprehension attempt, officials say

Police in Stafford Township, N.J., said Monday that a suspect fleeing the scene of an arrest struck an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer with their car.

In a Facebook post, the Stafford Township Police Department said it received a report at 9:30 a.m. EDT of the incident, which occurred on Route 72 in Manahawkin, N.J. At the scene, an ICE officer was “attempting to apprehend” a suspect when the individual fled in a vehicle and struck the officer.

“The agent discharged his firearm at the vehicle, reportedly striking it,” the police department added. “The suspect fled the scene in the vehicle and has not been located at this time.”

The department noted the ICE officer sustained “unknown injuries,” and it is not known if the suspect was also injured.

The Hill has reached out to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for more information on the incident, including the status of the officer and suspect.

Manahawkin is roughly 85 miles south of Delaney Hall, a federal migrant detention center in Newark. Anti-ICE protesters have gathered outside the facility throughout the second Trump administration, including amid an ongoing hunger strike by detainees to protest conditions inside.

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) said last week she received a “closely controlled and limited tour” of Delaney Hall by federal officials and was not allowed to speak directly to detainees.

Sherrill also pushed for her state’s Department of Health to be able to inspect the facility. The New Jersey government sued The GEO Group, which operates Delaney Hall, for access earlier this month.

Tom Homan, the White House border czar, also said last week that ICE is set to surge officers to New York City.

“You are going to see more ICE agents than you have ever seen in New York City. And it’s coming. I just reviewed an operational plan. I’m not going to tell you exactly when it’s going to happen, but it’s coming,” Homan said during an appearance on Fox News’s “Fox and Friends.”

Under New Jersey law, law enforcement officers at the local, county and state levels cannot participate in federal immigration raids. The Stafford Township Police Department noted that on Monday, saying its officers were not a part of the aforementioned ICE operation.

The department also noted that it is not assisting or conducting the investigation into the incident but instead is managing traffic and securing the crime scene.

“Please avoid the area during the investigation which will likely continue for several hours,” Stafford police wrote. “There are alternate routes available through the Ocean Acres section of Stafford Township to bypass the road closures.”