Kean backs ICE actions amid local tensions

GOP Representative says offices fired weapon, 'acted appropriately' in Roxbury arrest

By: William Westhoven
Morristown Daily Record
USA Today Network - New Jersey

..... U.S. Representative Tom Kean Jr. is supporting the actions of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer following a Roxbury incident in which a gun was fried while apprehending a suspect authorities described as a "criminal illegal alien."
..... "Safety of the public is law enforcement's top priority, and law enforcement officers acted appropriately to safely bring a dangerous criminal off our streets and into custody," Kean said in an email to the Daily Record after the February 10 [2026] incident in the Landing section of town.
..... The email, echoing a statement released by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, identified the suspect as Jesus Fabian Lopez-Banegas, "a criminal illegal form Honduras whose record includes charges for drug trafficking, drug possession and driving under the influence."
..... "A judge issued an order for his removal five years ago," wrote Kean, a Republican whose Seventh congressional District includes Roxbury.
..... "In an attempt to evade arrest, the suspect rammed his vehicle into a law-enforcement vehicle and weaponized it in an effort to run an officer over, The officer took defensive measures to stop the threat. thankfully, no one was injured."
..... New Jersey criminal records indicate Lopez-Banegas and was charged in two drug-related cases in the past two years, for possession of cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia -a hypodermic needle - with the intent to use or distribute it.
..... Reached on February 11, [2026] attorney John Grey, who represented Lopez-Banegas in court on a 2024 drug possession charge, painted a different picture from the one offered by federal officials.
..... He said Lopez-Banegas faced no charges related to violent crime.
..... His client worked as a painter and in construction and was "going to County College of Morris, trying to learn the English language a little better." He was also married and living in Dover at the time, Grey said.
..... "I did see that they had labeled him as a drug trafficker," Grey said.
..... "But I can tell you that [the 2024 case] was a non-custodial probation resolution. I mean, there was not jail or anything to that effect. Nothing violent., not at all."
..... It's unclear whether ICE's arrest was related to those or other charges. A spokeswoman with the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not respond to a request for more information on the specific charges that Lopez-Banegas is currently facing."
..... "I've known him a while and have worked with him on other matters, non-criminal matters," Gray said.
..... "I can tell you he was always polite to deal with, always showed up on time for his court appearances."
..... Kean's comments followed media reports of the incident and a township council meeting on February 10, [2026] hours after the Landing shooting, where the council and a crowd of speakers restated their opposition to an ICE proposal to cerate an immigrant detention facility at a Route 46 warehouse in Roxbury.
..... A statement released by town officials at the council meeting said the Landing incident "originated outside of Roxbury Township and subsequently concluded within our borders."

NJ AG investigates ICE shooting

..... The New Jersey Attorney General's Office incident.
..... "we recognize that matters of this nature raise concerns within our communities. Public Safety remains our top priority," said acting Attorney General Jennifer Davenport in a statement.
..... Davenport said there were "no known injuries" from the encounter and that the scene was secured by local police with assistance from the Morris County Prosecutor's Office and Morris county sheriff's Office.
..... The prosecutor's office, sheriff office and Roxbury police all referred inquires to the AG's Office
..... Davenport said she has been in contact with "federal, state, county, and local law enforcement partners."
..... The AG's office asked anyone with videos or information about the incident to contact it at 1 (844) OPIA-TIP (1-844-674-2847).

Roxbury waiting to hear from DHS

..... The council statement also confined that Roxbury officials had been in touch with the owner of the warehouse property that DHS has scouted.
..... "During these meetings, the township has made its opposition to a detention facility perfectly clear. The property owner has advised that the site continues to be actively marketed, and that, at this time, there's no proposal or contract in place with nay federal agency," the council statement said.
..... The council also advised that it had attempted contact the Department of Homeland Security directly, but "to date, no direct communication has been received."

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