By A suspect struck an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent with a vehicle Monday morning while fleeing an arrest attempt in Manahawkin, New Jersey, according to local police, the latest incident to raise concerns about escalating hostility toward federal immigration officers.
The Stafford Township Police Department said federal immigration officers were attempting to take the individual into custody when the suspect drove away from the scene and hit the agent, according to The Daily Caller.
“I.C.E. was attempting to apprehend a suspect when the suspect fled from the scene in a vehicle, striking the I.C.E. Agent,” the STPD said in a statement. “The agent discharged his firearm at the vehicle, reportedly striking it.”
The suspect escaped the area and remained at large Monday, police said. The ICE agent suffered injuries, though authorities did not immediately release details about the severity of those injuries or the agent’s condition.
Local officials emphasized that the incident did not appear to pose a broader threat to residents.
“There is no reason to believe there is any concern for the public’s safety,” the STPD said.
The department said Stafford Township officers are complying with New Jersey’s Immigrant Trust Directive, a policy issued by then-Attorney General Gurbir Grewal that limits voluntary cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.
“The ongoing investigation is not being conducted by Stafford Township Police. Our role at this point is to manage traffic and secure the crime scene,” the department added.
Officials urged residents to avoid the area for several hours while authorities processed the active scene.
The New Jersey incident comes amid a series of confrontations involving ICE agents and anti-ICE activists across the country. Earlier this year in Minneapolis, an ICE agent was injured after being struck by a vehicle during an enforcement operation that ended in a fatal shooting. The agent, Jonathan Ross, reportedly suffered internal bleeding to the torso after the incident.
Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealed at the times that Ross was treated at a hospital and released.
“The officer was hit by the vehicle. She hit him. He went to the hospital. A doctor did treat him. He has been released,” Noem told reporters on Jan. 7.
The Minneapolis incident became a flashpoint in the broader fight over immigration enforcement, with federal officials saying the agent acted in self-defense and critics accusing ICE of excessive force. U.S. Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino said Ross had faced threats after the shooting.
“He has had several threats against his life,” Bovino said, adding, “he’s in a safe location. He’s recovering from those injuries, and we’re thankful that he’s recovering.”
The tensions have not been limited to law enforcement scenes. In January, anti-ICE protesters disrupted a Sunday worship service at Cities Church in St. Paul, entering the sanctuary during the service and chanting slogans as worshippers gathered. Video from the incident showed demonstrators interrupting prayers and confronting church leaders.
One pastor objected to the disruption, saying, “This is unacceptable. It’s shameful to interrupt a public gathering of Christians in worship…”
The church incident unfolded amid continuing protests in the Twin Cities tied to federal immigration operations. Reporting from The Washington Free Beacon, found that several activist organizations involved in monitoring ICE activity in Minnesota had received funding from major progressive foundations, including the Open Society Foundations, the Ford Foundation, and the Tides Foundation.
An Open Society Foundations representative defended the organization’s grantmaking, saying: “The Open Society Foundations support the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, including the rights to free speech and peaceful protest that are hallmarks of any vibrant democracy.”
The debate over ICE operations has also reached elected officials. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes drew criticism in January after warning that masked federal officers and Arizona’s self-defense laws could create dangerous confrontations.
“It’s kind of a recipe for disaster because you have these masked federal officers with very little identification, sometimes no identification, wearing plain clothes and masks,” Mayes said, while also calling ICE “very poorly trained.”
Mayes later described Arizona’s Stand Your Ground law, saying, “And we have a Stand Your Ground law that says that if you reasonably believe that your life is in danger and you’re in your house or your car or on your property, that you can defend yourself with lethal force.”
Pressed on whether her comments could be read as a “license” to shoot federal agents, Mayes denied encouraging violence.
“If you’re being attacked by someone who is not identified as a peace officer — how do you know?” she said, adding, “real cops don’t wear masks.”
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin sharply condemned the remarks, warning that rhetoric aimed at federal officers could have deadly consequences.
“This is direct threat calling for violence against our law enforcement officers — this kind of rhetoric is going to get someone killed,” McLaughlin said. She added that Mayes “should be thanking our federal law enforcement for removing these pedophiles, murderers, terrorists, and drug traffickers from their communities — not inciting violence against them.”
The Manahawkin case now adds another confrontation to a growing national pattern in which immigration enforcement operations increasingly trigger legal, political, and sometimes physical clashes perpetrated by leftwing activists.
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