Inside ICE operations in New Jersey — as agents nab two child predators

UNION CITY, New Jersey — ICE agents in New Jersey swept up a pair of migrants with convictions for alarming child-sex crimes — taking them off the streets Monday as part of what the agency says is an effort to target the “worst of the worst.”

Nicolosa Garcia, 42, and Umana Saez, 36, were arrested following separate stakeouts, which required hours of meticulous surveillance by feds with Homeland Security Investigations, which is part of ICE.

Garcia — a Mexican national convicted of endangering the welfare of a child in New Jersey — and Saenz — a Salvadorian and registered sex offender convicted of exploiting a child in the Garden State — were both nabbed without incident.

“We’re criminal investigators, and what we do is we’re going to follow the trail until we don’t have any further leads,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Varrone, who led the raids.

“It’s a massive win for the community in which they were convicted of crimes, heinous crimes, within that community,” Varrone told The Post.

“They’re going to be removed today. They’re going to be put to deportation proceedings, and they’re going to be sent home.”

ICE operations have sparked backlash from some critics, who accuse the agency of casting too wide a net as agents scramble to meet a quota of arresting 3,000 migrants per day nationwide.

However, on Monday the team of HSI agents was focused on catching two high priority convicted criminals.

The operations started just after 5 a.m., with ICE agents gathering in a dingy stretch of Newark to go over the day’s game plans before the sun even rose.

They set out to Garcia’s Union City home in several inconspicuous cars and parked up and down the block, hopeful they could head him off as he left early for a construction job.

After several hours of watching and waiting there was no sign of Garcia, but the agents decided to keep watching instead of attempt a door knock.

Authorities said illegal migrants have been on high-alert since President Trump came into office and launched a massive nationwide crackdown.

After consulting neighbors, the agents determined that Saenz’s family owned the home but did not live there, and he was quickly tracked down to a Newark warehouse where he worked.

The agents rushed over and spoke with the manager there, and Saenz was taken from the warehouse in cuffs without a fight.

And back in Union City, Garcia finally left his house. He was quickly intercepted bundled off by waiting federal agents.

The slow and meticulous tactics that eventually won the day Monday are typical of many of the operations HSI typically carries out, Varrone explained.

“Patience and persistence stood strong today. I think that it proved tremendous value by getting two child predators off the street who are also in this country illegally,” Varrone said.

“Folks who are in this country illegally, they don’t want to be found. They don’t want to be caught,” he added. “Sometimes addresses turn up as dead ends or locations aren’t what they seem. But in this instance, we followed up on several of the leads, and we were able successfully conduct the arrest.”

“We try to do everything with safety in mind.”