RED BANK - A young woman captivated an immigration panel discussion Tuesday when she said her father, a 41-year resident of New Jersey, was apprehended by ICE agents last week.

He is now in Delaney Hall, Newark, where he needs, but is not getting, medical treatment for among other things, high blood pressure. She said he had been employed and waiting for resident status.

"Worse thing is the medical," or lack thereof, Rep. Frank Pallone said. A visitor to Delaney Hall, he said the infirmary is a small room often with one physician, which leads to long waits.

Recent stats show that New Jersey ranks eighth in the nation for immigration arrests. ICE has been active of late in many locales, including nearby Freehold and Perth Amboy.

With that backdrop, Pallone, the veteran congressman from the 6th District, convened a roundtable in borough hall featuring Kate Triggiano, the borough's deputy mayor, and immigration rights advocates from across the state.

"Obviously, (Donald) Trump's immigration policy has been a disaster," Pallone said, adding, "We see cruelty. We see inhumane treatment."

All around the table agreed.

The problem, as everyone also acknowledged, is that at the moment there is not a lot critics can do about it. Politics is about numbers and right now, Democrats are in the minority.

Pallone asserted that while there is political support to get rid of criminals here illegally, there is not wholesale support, even among Republicans, to target individuals working and supporting their families. Could be, but that in itself will not change anything.

He said the feds have about $200 billion on hand to enforce immigration laws, which is why activity has increased. And why, he speculated, ICE may be again considering a detention center in Roxbury Township.

Still, this was a time to look ahead - to a time, perhaps, when Democrats again control Congress.

Broadly speaking, Pallone said we need a "pathway to citizenship" for people here, say, five years who are working and have committed no crimes.

He also spoke of mandating ICE agents to have warrants, not to wear masks and to keep away from such sensitive places as schools and houses of worship.

New Jersey did pass a law banning masks for ICE agents, but that was a philosophical statement more than anything else. Talk about something hard to enforce.

Interestingly, a pathway to citizenship had been part of immigration reform bills dating back to the era of President George W. Bush, but those bills went nowhere, falling victim to hardliners on both sides.

Which brings us to where we are today.

"The dramatic increase in immigration arrests of hardworking people under President Trump is tearing apart families and communities across New Jersey. Every American deserves to know their rights, and Congress must hold this administration accountable," Pallone said. "My visits to Delaney Hall have uncovered serious concerns about how people are being treated and whether basic human standards are being met. Republicans should not be giving President Trump’s ICE your tax dollars. I will continue fighting for an immigration system that upholds due process, keeps families together and treats everyone with dignity while providing a pathway to citizenship.”

Summing up the sentiments of those sitting around the table, Hazel Applewhite of the Ironbound Community Corporation in Newark said:

"In the Ironbound, I watch children go to school each morning terrified they'll return to an empty house. Mothers memorize escape routes instead of helping with homework. This is what happens when we let fear replace humanity. We must create pathways to citizenship that honor the most basic truth: families belong together. When you rip a parent from their child, you don't just break one family, you shatter an entire community's soul."