A day after school children in Lindenwold ran from their bus stop when they spotted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, about 300 people turned out to protest in support of the South Jersey town’s Latino community, according to organizers.
Community members had planned a protest for Friday before the school bus stop incident. Then, after video footage spread showing 4th and 5th grade students running back into the apartment complex, some of them yelling “ICE, ICE,” more people were likely inspired to show up, organizers said.
“I never want to see a child ever run away from our own government ever again,” said one attendee captured on video by organizers. He carried a large American flag and spoke through tears, explaining he’d never participated in a protest before.
“I’m not gonna stand by and watch my neighbors run away scared,” he added.
According to a man interviewed by Philadelphia’s NBC10, ICE agents were looking for him on Thursday, but they were unable to detain him. He added that he has lived in the U.S. for 21 years and “I don’t have no problems.”
One of the protest organizers, Craig Strimel, said ICE has been “terrorizing Lindenwold for months.”
“Those kids are smart enough to know that ICE can take you,” Strimel said, explaining why the children were so afraid. “This has been happening, and it’s not necessarily whether you’re documented or undocumented.”
Strimel, a member of the Cooper River Indivisible leadership team, said Friday’s protest drew a larger and more diverse local crowd than some of the others the group had helped organize in the region.
Lindenwold, a town of just over 20,000, is home to more than 7,000 Latino residents, according to the U.S. census.
Tatiana, an event organizer who asked to only be identified by her first name, said she hoped people walked away feeling more connected and supported.
“The most important thing for our Latino, Asian and African population to know is that we care about them,” she said.
U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross, D-1st Dist, issued a statement criticizing ICE’s actions.
Protest in N.J. town draws 300 after children flee ICE officers
“Let me be clear: our community will not be terrorized, and we will keep fighting to protect our neighborhoods,” the South Jersey congressman said on the platform X.
Norcross also called for a variety of reforms, including body cameras for ICE agents and the impeachment of U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
U.S. Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., also expressed shock at the video clip.
“I am beyond outraged, both as an American and as a father to two boys,” he wrote on X. “Our system is broken. The first step to fix it is for ICE to leave our state.”
This all comes as the focus on ICE continues to grow in New Jersey. Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill last week signed executive orders to push back against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, including launching a portal for residents to upload photos and videos of ICE agents and ban those agents from accessing non‑public areas of state property without a judicial warrant.
Trump’s administration called the orders “legally illiterate,” saying the U.S. Constitution gives the federal government power to enforce immigration laws. The White House insists the goal is to protect residents by removing criminals who are in the country illegally.
Lawmakers in the Democratic-controlled state Legislature are also advancing bills that would limit ICE’s operations.
One Lindenwold resident, Jackie Stack Lagakos, said protestors Friday were “three deep on the sidewalk and up on snow mounds” listening to speakers in front of municipal offices while drivers honked horns in support.
“It was so uplifting to see that we, our neighbors, are in support of other neighbors that would be affected by all of this,” she said, pointing out the difference between her experience at the protest and some of the messages she’d read online from people in Lindenwold stating their support of ICE activities in the area.
The superintendent of Lindenwold Public Schools, Dr. Kristin P. O’Neil, said in a statement that she had spent Thursday morning “reaching out to our county and state representatives to alert them as to what occurred and to advocate strongly for protocols that prioritize the safety of children during any future operations.”
ICE has been an everyday presence, according to Strimel, whose group is active in the area.
“When we showed up an hour early to the protest, ICE was there in the parking lot waiting,” he said. “They left before the event started, but it was creepy.”
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