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Morristown teen released after ICE detention sparks community rally

Jan 15, 2026·Location: Morristown, NJ

Country of origin: Honduras

Morristown teen released after ICE detention sparks community rally
Photo via morristowngreen.com

Juan Daniel Mendoza, a 17-year-old Morristown High School senior, was arrested by ICE on Jan. 12 while on his way to a Speedwell Avenue laundromat, one of 11 people detained in the area that day. He had entered the U.S. in 2024 as an unaccompanied minor under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. U.S. District Judge Evelyn Padin ordered his release from Delaney Hall Detention Facility on Jan. 15, ruling his detention violated due process and that he cannot be deported while his case is pending. Two days later, hundreds of residents, students and lawmakers rallied outside Morristown Town Hall to protest the arrest and broader immigration enforcement in the community.

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