Freelance photographer Geraldo Carlos was taking photos of a Newark alley for a newspaper story about illegal dumping when he discovered a dead body. When he reported it to police, they asked him if he had a green card.
According to a WABC story, Carlos says Newark Deputy Police Chief Samuel Demaio asked him if he was in this country legally and confiscated his camera when he told police his visa had expired. When editor Robert Lima went to the police station to object to the demand that the newspaper turn over all of the photos Carlos had taken, Lima claims he was handcuffed and detained.
A new directive, issued last month by the New Jersey attorney general, orders police to ask about immigration status of people arrested for serious crimes, but it specifically prohibits police from questioning victims or witnesses, like Carlos, about their immigration status.