On March 13, 2026, a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer left two children alone in a vehicle. ICE detained a father of two children, a 13-year old girl, and a 15-year old son. The ICE arrest took place in Franklin Township.

The agents detained an unidentified father in Franklin Township. A video was taken by the 15 year-old showing the scene; the video showed the ICE agent at a car window, then the unidentified father reaching for his wallet to provide information. The agents took him out of the car, put him in handcuffs, and detained him. One agent asked the minors their ages, then told them to call their mom for a ride home, then left.

ICE agents aren’t permitted to leave minors alone after arresting their parents/guardians. Brian Higgins, a former police chief who now works as a law enforcement analyst, says, “law enforcement detectives from New Jersey’s Attorney General Office also prohibits leaving minors  unattended.” According to a directive issued last year by the Department of Homeland Security, “ICE should remain on the scene… until the designated third party, or the local child welfare authority or law enforcement agency assumes physical custody of the minor children.”

ICE agents have been accused in the past of leaving children alone. According to an article from CNN, “a review by CNN found that more than 100 U.S. citizen children were left stranded without their parents last year, due to ICE enforcement actions.” For example, a 6 year-old whose family said she was left behind in an apartment after her father picked up in Morristown.

The family of the two minors now plans to self-deport to Mexico with their father.