Newark mayor says ICE ‘raided’ a business, as agents make arrests in other Northeast cities
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(NEW YORK) — Trump administration border czar Tom Homan recently promised to carry out “big raids” in sanctuary cities across the U.S. — and scenes of immigration authorities detaining migrants Thursday have rattled some residents in cities like Newark, Boston and New York City.
However, sources told ABC News the enforcement operations this week since President Donald Trump’s second inauguration are the type of routine immigration raids that have been customary of ICE for years.
In a post on X, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the agency had made a total of 538 arrests Thursday.
Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka said in a statement on Thursday that ICE “raided” a business in the city and detained “undocumented residents, as well as citizens, without producing a warrant.”
In a press release, the mayor said one of the detainees was a veteran “who suffered the indignity of having the legitimacy of his military documentation questioned.”
“This egregious act is in plain violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees ‘the right of the people be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures,” the mayor said. “Newark will not stand by idly while people are being unlawfully terrorized. I will be holding a press conference in alliance with partners ready and willing to defend and protect civil and human rights. Details to come.”
WABC also reported ICE made arrests in New York, including of an alleged MS-13 member on Wednesday.
In Massachusetts, WCVB reported ICE made arrests in Chelsea and East Boston on Wednesday.
Gov. Maura Healey said she supported the arrests of criminals regardless of their immigration status.
“I wouldn’t describe them as raids,” Healey told WCVB regarding the arrests.”What it seems to be, and what we expected and what I support, which is the apprehension of criminals in our communities.”
Authorities are investigating a Tesla Cybertruck explosion outside the Trump Las Vegas hotel in Nevada, Jan. 1, 2025. Obtained by ABC News.
(LAS VEGAS) — Authorities are investigating a Tesla Cybertruck explosion on Wednesday outside the Trump Las Vegas hotel in Nevada as a possible act of terror, law enforcement officials said.
Sheriff Kevin McMahill of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department told reporters that investigators were looking into any possible connections to the deadly attack in New Orleans earlier Wednesday but had not yet discovered any.
The driver of the Cybertruck pulled into the valet area of the hotel and the vehicle exploded, according to an official. The driver was killed and, so far, is the only fatality from the incident. Seven bystanders had minor injuries, authorities said.
McMahill said the truck was in front of the hotel for 15 to 20 seconds before it exploded. He said that it was rented in Colorado and license plate readers caught it arriving in Las Vegas Wednesday morning.
Federal sources confirmed to ABC News Wednesday night that the FBI is conducting operations and searches in Colorado Springs, Colorado in relation to the Cybertruck explosion, with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
The sheriff said Tesla CEO Elon Musk helped the investigation by having the truck unlocked after it auto-locked in the blast and giving investigators video of the suspect at charging stations along its route from Colorado to Las Vegas.
Video played at the news conference showed a load of fireworks-style mortars, gasoline cans and camping fuel canisters in the back of the truck.
Multiple law enforcement sources told ABC News that the Cybertruck that exploded in Las Vegas was rented on Turo — the same app sources said was used to rent the pickup truck used in the deadly attack in New Orleans.
“We are heartbroken by the violence perpetrated in New Orleans and Las Vegas, and our prayers are with the victims and families,” a Turo spokesperson said in a statement in response to an ABC News request for comment. “We are actively partnering with law enforcement authorities as they investigate both incidents.”
“We do not believe that either renter involved in the Las Vegas and New Orleans attacks had a criminal background that would have identified them as a security threat,” the statement continued. “We remain committed to maintaining the highest standards in risk management, thanks to our world-class trust and safety technologies and teams that include experienced former law enforcement professionals.”
As police continue to investigate, McMahill said police the explosion was an “isolated incident” and that “there is no further threat to the community. He also said police do not believe anyone was helping the Las Vegas suspect.
“We believe everything is safe now,” McMahill said.
The property is the subject of frequent threats and heightened security given its connection to President-elect Donald Trump.
Musk, a close ally of Trump, said on Wednesday afternoon that the “whole Tesla senior team is investigating this matter right now.”
“Will post more information as soon as we learn anything,” Musk wrote on X, which he also owns. “We’ve never seen anything like this.”
Musk later posted on X: “We have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself.” It’s not known if Musk’s claim has been independently verified.
An official briefed on the investigation told ABC News “this was not a lithium battery” blast, as some have speculated online. There have been instances in the past of battery compartments in Tesla vehicles spontaneously catching fire.
Trump’s son Eric Trump, the executive vice president of the Trump Organization, posted on social media about the incident.
“Earlier today, a reported electric vehicle fire occurred in the porte cochère of Trump Las Vegas,” he wrote. “The safety and well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Las Vegas Fire Department and local law enforcement for their swift response and professionalism.”
The hotel also issued a statement on X suggesting the car involved was electric.
“Earlier today a reported electric vehicle fire occurred in the porte cochère of Trump Las Vegas,” the hotel wrote. “The safety & well-being of our guests and staff remain our top priority. We extend our gratitude to the Las Vegas Fire Department and local law enforcement for their swift response.”
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the fire and explosion near the Trump International Hotel Las Vegas and has directed his team to offer any federal assistance needed, the White House said.
(NEW YORK) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams met with incoming border czar Thomas Homan to discuss their plans to remove what he says were violent undocumented immigrants.
Thursday’s closed-door meeting was the latest correspondence between the incoming Trump administration and Adams, who is facing federal bribery and fraud charges.
The mayor spoke about his meeting at a news conference, where he began by admonishing reporters for having “preconceived notions” and “distorted views” about his immigration policies.”
While Adams said the city is going to “protect the rights, of immigrants who are hard-working and giving back to the city in a positive way,” the mayor repeatedly said that he and Homan agreed that they do not share the same courtesy for immigrants who he says commits violent crimes.
“We will not be a safe haven for those who commit violent acts. We don’t do it for those who are citizens and we are not going to do it for undocumented citizens,” Adams said.
Homan, who served as the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the first Trump administration, has vowed a “shock and awe” action against undocumented immigrants on day one. President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to deport millions of undocumented immigrants once he takes office and has threatened local leaders who have opposed his proposal.
States and municipalities can’t outright act as immigration enforcement for the federal government without an agreement, according to federal law.
Sixty counties and police districts, many of them in Florida, have entered into 287(g) agreements with Immigration Customs and Enforcement, in which local law enforcement can conduct immigration policies on behalf of the federal government such as executing warrants and detaining undocumented immigrants, Elora Mukherjee, the director of Columbia Law School’s immigration clinic, told ABC News last month.
The mayor said his legal team is speaking with the ICE’s legal team about ways to work together. Adams said he is considering using executive orders but didn’t give any specifics.
He also mentioned South American gang activity in the city and Long Island when asked about more specifics on violent crime involving undocumented immigrants, but didn’t go into further detail.
Adams was mum when asked by a reporter if he and Homan discussed proposals to deport undocumented immigrants who didn’t commit any crime in the city.
“From what I heard from the incoming head of ICE is that we have the same desire to go after those who are committing violent acts, repeated violent acts against innocent New Yorkers, migrants and asylum seekers,” the mayor said.
Adams has had several conversations with the Trump team since the election, which has raised questions from critics about the discussions and the mayor’s ongoing criminal case.
He became the first sitting New York City mayor to be indicted when federal prosecutors charged him in September with bribery, fraud and accepting unsolicited donations from a foreign donor.
An investigation dating back to Adams’ time as Brooklyn borough president alleged the mayor had traded political favors with Turkish businessmen and officials in exchange for lavish gifts, hotel stays and flights.
The five-count indictment also alleges that Adams was involved with a foreign straw donor scheme that helped him get matching funds for his 2021 mayoral campaign.
Adams pleaded not guilty, brushed aside calls for his resignation and denied any wrongdoing. He has also dodged questions about whether he has sought a pardon by Trump.
The trial is slated for April and prosecutors said the investigation is ongoing.
Many of the mayor’s critics, including City Comptroller Brad Lander who will run against Adams in the Democratic primary, chastised the mayor for meeting with Homan.
“Eric Adams is so focused on cozying up to Trump that he is willing to deny people due process and put the safety of families at risk. This open-armed embrace of Trump’s xenophobic policies is a betrayal of everyone who calls New York City home,” he said in a statement.
(NEW YORK) — During the final weeks of the Biden administration, the Department of Justice announced consent decrees for police reform with the cities of Minneapolis and Louisville – court-enforceable agreements born out of probes launched after the 2020 police killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd.
But after officials in the Trump administration issued a memo last month ordering a temporary freeze on ongoing cases being litigated by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, the future of those agreements, which have yet to be approved in federal court, is now uncertain.
The memo, which was reviewed by ABC News, also directed Kathleen Wolfe, acting head of the DOJ Civil Rights division, to notify Trump DOJ leaders of any consent decrees the Biden administration reached with cities in the final 90 days leading up to the inauguration, signaling a potential review.
“[The Trump administration] wanted to look at any agreements that had been completed within the last 90 days of the inauguration, which obviously would include Minneapolis and Louisville,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told ABC News. “The [Trump] DOJ could go to the court and say they’re no longer interested in this.”
O’Hara, who previously was Public Safety Director for Newark, New Jersey, during the implementation of a federal consent decree, said that the Trump administration could intervene in the process because the agreements have not been finalized in federal court.
But O’Hara emphasized that since the agreements have already been filed, whether they are approved is not up to the White House, but “ultimately in the federal judge’s hands.”
The memo to freeze litigation came ahead of the confirmation hearing for Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Pam Bondi, and his nominee to lead the DOJ’s civil rights division, Harmeet Dhillon. Bondi was confirmed on Tuesday.
Asked about the timeline for the freeze on litigation and what actions the DOJ is planning to take regarding the Minneapolis and Louisville consent decrees, a spokesperson for the DOJ declined ABC News’ request for comment.
The consent decrees each lay out a roadmap for police reform to rectify civil rights violations that the DOJ uncovered and, if approved by a federal judge, the court will appoint an independent monitor to oversee the implementation of the reforms and actions outlined in the agreement.
“I don’t think any city, any police chief wants to get a consent decree,” O’Hara said. “You know, that’s not a badge of honor in any way and something that ultimately costs the city millions and millions of dollars just to simply be monitored, let alone to do the work that is required to reform.”
But O’Hara added that consent decrees do provide police departments with additional resources needed to implement reforms. “I think the main benefit to police chiefs of these agreements is it requires cities to make certain investments, both in the officers’ health and welfare, as well as in training and supervision,” he said, “but without that court order, there is not necessarily an incentive for cities to prioritize some of those investments.”
City officials and police vow to forge ahead with reform
City officials and police in both Louisville and Minneapolis told ABC News that they are prepared to move forward with the agreed upon reforms with or without the oversight of the Trump administration.
Kevin Trager, a spokesman for Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, told ABC News that the city and police are committed to the reforms agreed upon in the consent decree, “regardless of what happens in federal court.”
“Louisville Metro Government and LMPD will move forward and honor our commitment to meaningful improvements and reforms,” Trager said.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey told ABC News that the city has “not heard directly” from the Trump administration regarding the consent decree, but the city plans to move forward with the terms of the agreement “with or without support from the White House.”
“It’s unfortunate the Trump administration may not be interested in cooperating with us to improve policing and support our community, but make no mistake: we have the tools, the resolve, and the community’s backing to fulfill our promise to the people of Minneapolis. Our work will not be stopped,” Frey said.
O’Hara, who was tapped to lead Minneapolis police in 2022 amid national outrage over the killing of George Floyd in police custody, echoed Frey’s commitment to the reforms, but pointed out that Minneapolis is already under a state consent decree that was approved in July 2023 and includes similar reforms that are outlined in the federal agreement.
“It is possible we may wind up not having a federal consent decree, although I don’t think it’s likely,” O’Hara said, “but again, I think a majority of what is contemplated in the federal consent decree exists already in the state consent decree. There’s already been a ton of work toward making those requirements real.”
O’Hara said that he already created a use of force investigation teams within the MPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau – a move that was not required by the state but is required under the federal agreement.
“That’s something that I already had started long before we had the draft agreement, because I know that’s a best practice in this profession,” O’Hara said, but added that the approval of the federal consent decree would give MPD the resources and the staffing that it needs to carry out these reforms.
“It is not yet staffed up and resourced the way that it should be, and the federal consent decree requires significant more investment in it,” he said.
Where things stand in the courts
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the families of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, told ABC News Live Prime anchor Linsey Davis in an interview last Wednesday that the families want to see the consent decrees approved in federal court.
“This is very disturbing,” Crump said, referencing the Trump administration’s freeze on civil rights litigation.
“Breonna’s mother is very heartbroken, Linsey. Very heartbroken. She’s fought so hard to get whatever measure of justice and accountability she could,” he added. “She is just shocked that they would do this, just like George Floyd’s family is shocked.”
The Minneapolis federal consent decree is being reviewed by Judge Paul A. Magnuson, a senior judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota who was appointed by President Ronald Regan.
The agreement, which was announced by the DOJ Jan. 6, focuses on “preventing excessive force; stopping racially discriminatory policing; improving officers’ interactions with youth; protecting the public’s First Amendment rights; preventing discrimination against people with behavioral health disabilities; promoting well-being of officers and employees; and enhancing officers’ supervision and accountability,” according to the DOJ.
A spokesperson for Frey told ABC News that the city has “not heard directly” from the Trump administration regarding the consent decree and, according to O’Hara, Minneapolis is still “awaiting a court date to be set” in this case.
Meanwhile, the Louisville consent decree, which was announced on Dec. 12, 2024, is in the hands of Judge Benjamin Beaton of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky.
The agreement lays out “specific policies, trainings, and programs” that the city and police “will implement to protect the rights of Louisville residents and promote public safety,” as well as a requirement to “collect and analyze data to improve as an agency and to hold officers and Louisville Metro employees accountable,” according to the DOJ. The reforms listed in the agreement include steps for LMPD to use “appropriate de-escalation techniques and attempt to resolve incidents without force when possible, and use force in a manner that is reasonable, necessary, and proportional to the threat presented,” as well as “taking steps to reduce unlawful racial disparities in enforcement.”
Beaton, who was appointed by Trump during his first term as president in 2020, questioned the need for the consent decree during a hearing on Jan. 13, according to ABC affiliate in Louisville, WHAS11, where he asked DOJ officials whether there is a “less intrusive manner of resolving the dispute” without judicial oversight.
The Fraternal Order of Police – the largest police union in the country, which endorsed Trump during both of his presidential campaigns – filed a motion on Dec. 27 to intervene in the Louisville consent decree and asked Beaton to oppose it in its current form. In the motion, the union argued that the consent decree violates the collective bargaining agreement between them and the city, according to WHAS11.
Asked about the status of the consent decree, a spokesperson for Greenberg told ABC News that “the city is preparing to file a brief in support of the consent decree by Feb. 18, as requested by the judge.”
ABC News’ Alexander Mallin and Sabina Ghebremedhin contributed to this report.
