Local official calls for release of Trenton resident held by ICE

TRENTON, N.J. (PIX11) — A local official is calling for the release of a Trenton resident detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers Thursday morning.

According to Congressman Bonnie Watson Coleman, the detainee, Julio Lopez Najera, is a Trenton resident with a pending green card application. He is currently being held at Delaney Hall.

“Julio is an upstanding member of this community. He has been working, supporting his family with a pending application with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services seeking legal status. He has no criminal record. He is respected in his community. Most importantly, as a resident of the United States and the State of New Jersey, he has a right to due process. He should be released immediately,” said Watson Coleman.

ICE and HSI agents detained Lopez Najera after stopping a van he was using to travel to work, Watson Coleman says.

“You and I, all want people who commit crimes off the streets, so ICE needs to get about its business and take care of the dangerous, and leave those who simply want to work and live and worship and leave that part of the community alone,” said Watson Coleman.