Moms in handcuffs: Dozens detained as ICE storms Woodbridge warehouse

🚨ICE agents raided a Woodbridge warehouse, detaining 46 workers

🚨 Several workers were moms expecting to pick up their kids from school

🚨 It was the third such raid in Middlesex County in three months

WOODBRIDGE — For the third time in three months, ICE agents descended on another Middlesex County warehouse and arrested workers.

CBS New York reports that on Wednesday, ICE agents took dozens of people into custody at the Savino Del Bene warehouse on Englehard Avenue in the Avenel section. Dozens of people with their hands behind their backs were seen being placed into vans.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesman told New Jersey 101.5 in an email that 46 unauthorized immigrants were taken into custody which is 22% of the facility's workforce. The DHS law enforcement personnel conducted an inspection at an authorized “container freight station” in the Avenel section of Woodbridge on Wednesday. They are being held in DHS custody pending further immigration proceedings.

“DHS law enforcement personnel conducted an inspection at an authorized Container Freight Station in Avenel, 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," the spokesman said.

Several of the workers who were arrested were women, some of whom have school-age children who were expecting to be picked up after school, local officials said.

The warehouse is a Customs and Border Patrol-bonded facility, which allows for inspections. The agents arrived, identifying themselves as Customs agents and were followed in by ICE agents.

Savino Del Bene is an international shopping and logistics company. The Woodbridge location serves as their U.S. headquarters, with another New Jersey  business location in Swedesboro

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Pattern of immigration raids across Middlesex County warehouses

Ruperto Marquez, a chef at Emilio's Kitchen in Atlantic Highlands, which he co-owns with his brother Emilo, was taken into custody during the weekend of Oct. 17 during a traffic stop in front of St. Agnes  Church, according to Mayor Lori Hohenleitner. The mayor and U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J. 6th District, said Marquez was authorized to work in this country.

On Thursday morning, ICE did not respond to New Jersey 101.5's request for more information about the Woodbridge and Atlantic Highlands cases.

In July, ICE agents arrested more than a dozen people at the Alba Wine and Spirits warehouse in the Heller Industrial Park on Saw Mill Pond Road in Edison. Fifteen workers who could not produce an ID were cuffed with zip ties and taken away in a van, News 12 reported at the time.

In August, the agency took another 29 workers at Freight Smart in Edison.  In a statement to Univision, Customs and Border Protection said they were conducting a "surprise inspection" to "verify compliance with customs, employment, and safety regulations to protect the supply chain, American commerce, and public safety."

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