A woman who came to America from Brazil says in a federal lawsuit she was arrested by two Newark cops in 2017 and handed over to federal authorities after a former deputy police chief tipped them off about her open deportation warrant.

The allegations in the suit could possibly be a violation of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s sanctuary city executive order, which pledged no local resources would aid federal immigration law unless required by a court order or directive.

The order was signed two months prior to Andrea Florentino’s arrest, who was living in Newark at the time but now resides in Elizabeth. The suit claims she was detained on Aug. 29, 2017 to prevent her from testifying in her estranged husband’s domestic violence court case two days later.

“She was traumatized by the whole thing,” Andrea Mazzula, Florentino’s attorney, told NJ Advance Media. "It was a very scary thing. She was literally dragged out of the house.”

The city, which is named as a defendant in the suit, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The suit alleges Dominick Saldida, who also goes by Domingos Saldida, called one of the officers who made the arrest to tell him Florentino had an open immigration warrant. Saldida was a retired Newark deputy chief at the time, but was operating a private security company known as BlueLine Security Consulting.

Saldida currently works as the East Orange public safety director and had a prior stint as the acting public safety director in Dover. Saldida did not respond to a request for comment, nor did the City of East Orange.

A police report written by Newark police Lt. John Rodrigues and obtained through Florentino’s attorney said the officer had received a call from Saldida on Aug. 28, 2017 about an open "immigration warrant.” Rodrigues wrote in the report that he called U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, to verify the warrant.

The report indicates that Florentino was arrested on one count of contempt, a fourth-degree charge that is defined as knowingly disobeying a judicial or court order. Her attorney said Florentino has not been deported.

A Newark Public Safety spokesman said Rodrigues is about to retire, but declined to say whether any of the officers involved in the arrest were administratively reprimanded in connection to the allegations in the suit. The city police department is named as a defendant.

THE ARREST

Two officers in plainclothes officers knocked on Florentino’s window at 6:45 a.m. on Aug. 29, 2017 while she was home with her daughters, ages 3, 10 and 14, the suit says. The men did not identify themselves to Florentino but asked her to open the door so they could discuss a "green car” parked across the street that belonged to her, the suit states.

As Florentino opened the door, the two men forced themselves inside her apartment, assaulted her and placed her in handcuffs, the suit says. The two men, later identified as Rodrigues and Newark police Detective Rafael Ramos, did not identify themselves or show a warrant for her arrest, the suit said.

“[She] believed she was being abducted at the request of her estranged husband,” the suit said.

Rodrigues and Ramos put her in the back of an unmarked police vehicle and drove her to a precinct. Only then did Florentino realize the two men were police officers, the suit states.

The officers called Florentino a "b----“ and used phrases like, “I love Trump” and “you can thank Trump” as she was being transported to the station, the suit alleges.

Florentino was advised once she arrived at the precinct she had an outstanding order of deportation from 2005. She did not have any other legal or criminal issue, her attorney told NJ Advance Media.

The police report indicates that Florentino was advised of her open immigration warrant, but doesn’t specifically say at what point.

An ICE officer arrived at the precinct and cuffed Florentino’s hands and feet, the suit says. She was transported by Rodrigues and Ramos to an immigration holding facility for several hours, the suit and police report states.

Mazzula, the attorney for Florentino, said her client was not taken to the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark, where ICE detainees are usually held. The police report shows she was taken to 620 Frelinghuysen Ave., an ICE field office.

The lawsuit says Florentino was told she would remain in custody until her immigration status was determined or she could be released with an ankle bracelet.

Florentino accepted being released with the ankle bracelet so she could get back home to her daughters. She was then transported to another immigration facility in Newark to have the ankle bracelet secured on her leg that she was made to wear for six months, the suit said.

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE TESTIMONY

It’s unclear if Florentino’s husband, Frank Aiello, was ever convicted in the domestic violence case. Mazzula, the attorney for Florentino, said her client received a call from someone who identified themselves as working in the prosecutor’s office and was told she did not have to appear in court.

Florentino and her husband are currently separated but not divorced, Mazzula said. He is not named as a defendant in the suit, which was originally filed in Superior Court of Essex County.

Mazzula is unsure if Aiello had any connection with Saldida, the former deputy police chief, or his security company.

This is at least the second time a Newark resident has publicly said they were arrested by city police and handed over to federal authorities. Daniel Castro was arrested by city police in 2018 after a traffic stop and handed over to ICE, TAPinto Newark previously reported.

Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @BeccaPanico.

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