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HSI Responds to Jersey City Arrest, Cites Domestic Violence Charges
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has issued a statement following public outcry over its recent arrest near St. Paul’s Avenue and Concord Street in Jersey City, where agents detained a man during a Thursday morning traffic stop.
The agency identified the individual as Alexander Xavier Davila-Zapata, an Ecuadorian national. “On September 17, ICE arrested Alexander Xavier Davila-Zapata, a criminal illegal alien from Ecuador, days after he was released by local police after being charged with domestic violence and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Our brave ICE law enforcement rescued these children and his wife from this abuser. Neither the mother nor the children were arrested.”
The incident, captured on video and shared with HudPost, showed agents detaining the man while neighbors shouted “shame, shame, shame.” The footage and accompanying eyewitness accounts prompted strong responses from residents and local officials.
Councilmembers James Solomon and Yousef J. Saleh condemned the arrest, calling it traumatic and out of step with Jersey City’s sanctuary policies. Hudson County Commissioner Bill O’Dea met with the family afterward and pledged to assist them in securing legal representation.
McLaughlin said Davila-Zapata “entered the U.S. illegally in April 2023 and was released by the Biden Administration.” She added, “President Trump and Secretary Noem unleashed ICE to target the worst of the worst. Seventy percent of ICE arrests are of criminal illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S. This statistic does not even include foreign fugitives, gang members, terrorists, and human rights abusers who do not yet have a rap sheet in the U.S.”
