This story was updated on June 8, 2025.
South Orange officials have confirmed that federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, agents made an “arrest” on Friday morning, June 6, 2025, in South Orange, but emphasized that “SOPD personnel were not involved in this operation in any capacity.”
The identity of the person detained is unknown at this time. Village Green is following up with officials to find out if there was a warrant for the person’s arrest, if the person was charged with a crime, and where the person was taken.
An anonymous poster on a local Facebook group shared that they saw four ICE agents making an arrest on Park Place near Marshall School in South Orange at around 8:45 a.m. on June 6.
“Four men with ICE vests, masked, and armed, picked up and handcuffed a single man on Park Place near Marshall School around 8:45AM today,” the post read. “Kids were still walking to school. My spouse witnessed it, and was so stunned and shaken, they didn’t take a photo. But I hope someone did.”
Due to be tagged on the post (and contacted by media), South Orange authorities began reaching out to county and federal agencies for confirmation.
Mayor Sheena Collum responded to the anonymous poster, writing, “Hi All – thank you for taking this so seriously. At this time what I can tell you is other than this post here, the Village has received no communications to Admin, PD, Staff or myself (except being tagged here). We have been attempting to track down information on what was described but are coming up short.” Collum then asked the OP to reach out to her, sharing her cell phone number and municipal contact information, and promising not to share the OP’s name unless given permission.
At 4:40 p.m. South Orange Village Administrator Julie Doran and Acting South Orange Chief of Police Stephen Dolinac released the following statement:
Statement Regarding ICE Activity in South Orange
On the morning of June 6, 2025, a community member reported via social media the presence of individuals believed to be federal agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducting an arrest on Park Place in South Orange.
After making inquiries with various county and federal agencies, the South Orange Police Department (SOPD) confirmed that federal ICE agents were indeed present in South Orange and conducted an operation resulting in an arrest. At this time, no additional public information about the arrest has been made available.
‘We want to emphasize that SOPD personnel were not involved in this operation in any capacity.
“We understand that immigration-related actions, especially in this current political environment, can cause significant concern and fear within our community. Our priority remains the safety, trust, and well-being of all South Orange residents, regardless of immigration status,” added Mayor Sheena Collum.
As a reminder, under the New Jersey Attorney General’s Immigrant Trust Directive, local law enforcement agencies—including the South Orange Police Department—are expressly prohibited from participating in ICE civil immigration enforcement operations or providing ICE with access to local law enforcement resources. This is also in compliance with the South Orange Sanctuary City policy.
The South Orange Police Department remains committed to enforcing New Jersey’s criminal and motor vehicle laws while continuing to build trust, foster transparency, and enhance public safety for all members of our community.
Further details will be shared as they become available.
Should you witness ICE activity in South Orange, please call South Orange Village at 973.378.7715.
Editor’s note: The original headline of this story reported that ICE conducted a traffic stop, but that information has not been confirmed as yet. The headline has since been updated.
