Gajjar was later arrested outside his residence in Iselin.
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Monday arrested an Indian national after he was released from the custody of Middlesex County police.
ICE lodged an immigration detainer on Indian Malik Gajjar with the Middlesex County Adult Correctional Facility on May 22 and the facility released him from custody without notification to ICE.
He was later arrested outside his residence in Iselin on June 7 by ERO Newark officers, ICE said in a press release.
Gajjar, who don’t have lawful status in the United States, is awaiting deportation and currently facing state criminal charges. He will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
“As a nation, we must protect the integrity of our immigration system and the removal of illegal aliens, especially those with a criminal history, this is one of ICE’s top priorities,†John Tsoukaris, ERO Newark filed office director, said in a statement. “ICE shares the country’s ultimate objective to protect public safety and national security while simultaneously preserving the critical community police bond. As such, county jails that fail to work with ICE put their communities at risk.â€
In a similar incident, ICE lodged an immigration detainer on a Mexican citizen named Aurelio Hernandez Cortez with the correctional facility on May 18 and he was also released from custody without notification to ICE. Hernandez was arrested on June 8 and has a pending criminal charge in Middlesex County.
According to ICE, 240,255 individuals were removed or returned in the fiscal year 2016. Of this total, 174,923 were apprehended while, or shortly after, attempting to illegally enter the United States. The remaining 65,322 were apprehended in the interior of the US, and the vast majority were convicted criminals.