ICE arrests Honduran murder suspect in NJ as immigration crackdown ramps up

Federal immigration agents in New Jersey arrested a Honduran man wanted for murder overseas. It's the latest high-profile case in a sweeping ICE enforcement push that has exploded across the Garden State.

According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, agents with the Newark field office arrested 30-year-old Fredy Alexander Lopez Lara during a targeted operation in Eatontown on April 20.

ICE says officers later discovered Lopez Lara was wanted in Honduras on a homicide warrant.

“ICE is actively working with our law enforcement partners worldwide to make sure foreign fugitives wanted for violent crimes are held accountable,” acting Newark Field Office Director Arthur Wilson Jr. said in a statement.

Authorities say Lopez Lara entered the United States illegally at an unknown time and place and remains in ICE custody pending deportation proceedings.

👇SEE BELOW: Dozens of recent ICE arrests in NJ called 'worst of the worst'

ICE spotlighting criminal arrests in NJ

The arrest comes as ICE publicly highlights dozens of recent arrests in New Jersey involving immigrants accused or convicted of crimes, including sex offenses, aggravated assault, drug trafficking, and fraud.

The agency says its operations focus on public safety threats and fugitives.

But a recent investigation by NJ.com found many people swept up in New Jersey ICE operations had no criminal convictions at all.

Using data obtained through the Deportation Data Project at University of California, Berkeley School of Law, NJ.com reported more than 8,300 people were detained by ICE in New Jersey last year, with more than three in four lacking criminal records.

The report also found ICE arrests in New Jersey have sharply increased during President Donald Trump’s second term, with thousands already arrested in the first months of 2026 alone.

Immigration advocates and Democratic officials in New Jersey have accused ICE of aggressive tactics and lack of transparency, while federal officials insist the operations are targeting dangerous offenders and immigration violators.

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