NORTH BERGEN, New Jersey — Fear and outrage have spread in North Bergen after video circulated showing masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents questioning a young person on the way to school near North Bergen High School on Monday morning, CBS News New York, PIX11 and ABC7 New York reported. Residents stepped in during the confrontation, and students protested outside the high school by Monday night, according to local reporting.

The two sides describe the young person's status differently, and Awaaz Punjab is reporting both. CBS News New York reported that Department of Homeland Security officials said the person questioned was an adult and was being questioned during an investigation. In its Oct. 20 evening report, CBS said DHS said ICE agents arrested nine undocumented migrants, all with criminal records according to DHS, near a high school in northern New Jersey, while local officials said agents were also questioning nearby residents.

Local and federal elected officials condemned the school-route stops. Rep. Rob Menendez was quoted as saying: 'ICE was stopping and questioning students on their way to school this morning in North Bergen. This is completely unacceptable and should be condemned by every elected official. ICE has no business targeting our schools or stopping and questioning our children.' North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco and the Board of Commissioners said in a joint statement that the ongoing presence of masked ICE agents was causing widespread fear and outrage, that local government has extremely limited authority over federal actions, and that they were monitoring the situation closely.

North Bergen Parks and Recreation Commissioner Hugo Cabrera told PIX11 News that town leaders were doing everything they could locally to protect students walking to class and were asking for state help. Advocacy group Estamos Unidos said in a statement that armed agents surrounded and questioned a young person on his way to school. No name or identifying detail for the young person is being published here.

Reports said ICE and DHS had not answered questions about the questioning near the school and about agents wearing masks at the time those inquiries were made. The school district was reported to be looking into the incident, and township officials said they would deny warrantless entry to school buildings.

Sources: CBS News New York reports by Christine Sloan and Lilia Luciano (Oct. 19-20); PIX11 News; ABC7 New York; statements quoted from Rep. Rob Menendez and North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco and Board of Commissioners.