A Workplace Raid Detains 46 Migrants
On October 29, 2025, federal immigration agents entered the Savino del Bene bonded warehouse in Avenel, New Jersey. More than 50 officers from several Homeland Security agencies surrounded and searched the facility. Witnesses described long guns, dogs, rooftop teams, scanning equipment and a helicopter.
Authorities arrested 46 workers, representing roughly one-quarter of the employees present that morning. Movimiento Cosecha reported that at least 30 had pending asylum applications, while many carried employment permits. The government responded that neither a pending application nor a work card provides legal immigration status by itself.
The operation also raised a dispute about search authority. Migrant advocates argue that customs inspection powers cover imported goods rather than workers and therefore do not replace a warrant. Homeland Security maintains that bonded warehouses may be searched without one, including both people and property.
Detention Separates Families Across Several States
After their arrests, workers were moved through detention centers in New Jersey, Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Arizona and other locations. Eighteen-year-old Jhonatan Bello Cabrera spent two months detained before paying a $6,000 bond and receiving an ankle monitor. His residency petition through his family remained unresolved.
Killy Tatiana Yangquen García spent nearly four months in custody before accepting voluntary departure to Colombia. She had lived in the United States since age 10 and left behind her mother, sister, niece and husband. Her family hopes a future petition may allow her return, but the process could take years.
Other women described freezing facilities, poor food, humiliation and exhausting transfers between states. Some were deported after months of detention, including Sofía, who became separated from her mother in Puerto Rico. The last woman in their group remained confined for seven months.
Freedom Does Not End the Damage
For those released, fear continued after returning home. Daniela, an asylum seeker with work authorization, spent more than two months detained and paid a $10,000 bond. She later isolated herself, gained weight from anxiety and became afraid to answer the door or attend immigration appointments.
The raid formed part of a wider campaign against migrants after Donald Trump returned to office. Activists estimate that federal agents detained more than 200 people at five bonded warehouses in northern New Jersey. Civil-rights groups have sued for government records to examine whether those operations were lawful.
Ultimately, the report shows that one enforcement action reached far beyond the 46 people arrested. Parents lost children, spouses were separated and young adults saw education or legal plans disrupted. Months later, detention had ended for some, but uncertainty, fear and forced distance continued shaping entire families.
References
Text: Paola Nagovitch, Photographs: Corrie Aune, Text: Paola Nagovitch, Photographs: Corrie Aune, & Text: Paola Nagovitch, Photographs: Corrie Aune. (2026, 25 agosto). One migrant raid in New Jersey, 46 lives destroyed: ‘My life is incomplete without my daughter’. EL PAÍS English. https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-08-25/one-migrant-raid-in-new-jersey-46-lives-destroyed-my-life-is-incomplete-without-my-daughter.html