Nothing should arouse the ire of a libertarian more than having federal agents detaining people on the streets without probable cause. ICE agents have been canvassing the streets of New Jersey performing warrantless raids on homes and businesses. The have been sweeping up citizens, documented immigrants, and undocumented immigrants. We are witnessing the transformation of our communities into zones where "show me your papers" is no longer a dystopian trope, but a daily requirement.
Within the past week alone, the tactics used by federal agents have mirrored those of authoritarian regimes.
- In Morristown ICE kidnapped an honor High School student who has never missed an immigration appointment and had an upcoming appointment with immigration authorities.
- Also in Morristown, a father stepped outside to collect a food delivery and was snatched up – leaving his six year old daughter alone.
- In Warren Township, ICE was seen pulling people out of cars and taking them away.
- Unknown masked agents grabbed a woman and others and took them away in Red Bank.
In the first 9 months of 2025 ICE has arrested 5,138 people in New Jersey. This is a 132% increase from the same period in 2024. Only 5% of those arrested have a conviction for a violent crime, 73% have no convictions at all.
Many on the right are justifying government overreach with demands to enforce the law. These same demands were used by the left to justify the raids and murders that occurred with Waco and Ruby Ridge. In a libertarian society there would be no such thing as an illegal gun owner or an illegal alien – unless they aggress on the private property or person of another. Supporting the militarization of civil law enforcement to enforce administrative codes is the height of hypocrisy for anyone claiming to value limited government.
The good news is that people are waking up and protesting across the country. Dozens of protests were held this past week throughout New Jersey including in Morristown, Roxbury, Elizabeth, Clifton, Bernardsville, Montclair, Maplewood, Jersey City, Bloomfield, Princeton, Trenton, West Orange, Verona, Newark, and many other towns. Three bills have passed both the State Assembly and Senate that severely limit the ability of ICE to commandeer state and local law enforcement resources. A recent poll found that 46% of Americans support abolishing ICE and 43% oppose abolishing it. Note that this was not simply reforming ICE but abolishing it completely.
Our Platform is clear: We support the right of humans to travel freely between political subdivisions. We must demand the dissolution of federal agencies that exist solely to restrict the natural rights of individuals. It is time to stop the raids, stop the kidnappings, and restore the right of all people to live without the shadow of a federal badge looming over their shoulder.