NJ Lawmakers Push for Stronger Protections Against ICE Cooperation
New Jersey lawmakers are racing to codify a law that would limit cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in a bid to close loopholes that allow people to be funneled into deportation proceedings before their criminal cases are resolved.
The proposed legislation, which is set to come up for final approval next week, aims to restrict the sharing of information between law enforcement officials and ICE unless a person has been convicted of a crime. This change would apply to those with final orders of removal, including thousands of individuals who may not be aware that their orders were issued outside of court hearings.
Critics argue that current practices undermine due process and discourage crime reporting, often resulting in people being deported before they can even see the charges against them. Immigrant rights advocates point to cases where clients have been arrested, only to see their charges later dropped – only for ICE to still pick them up. These instances of delayed deportation mean that individuals may be stuck in immigration detention while their cases stall.
Lawmakers say that growing fear among immigrant communities and eroding trust in law enforcement are driving the push for stronger protections. Ana Vasquez, an advocate with Wind of the Spirit, described seeing three ICE vests taking someone away from his car as a source of "fear" that's only increased in recent years. Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago echoed her concerns, stating that police officers have spoken about losing goodwill with immigrant communities.
The package of bills would also restrict police stops based on suspected immigration status and designate sensitive locations where staff could not assist ICE or the state. However, Republican lawmakers have expressed skepticism about the legislation's constitutionality and questioned why it is necessary in the first place. Despite these doubts, the proposal passed the Judiciary Committee vote along party lines.
If signed into law by Governor-elect Phil Murphy, this codification would bring New Jersey in line with many other states that already limit cooperation with ICE. Advocates hope that stronger protections will help to maintain public trust and ensure that individuals receive fair treatment under the law.
New Jersey lawmakers are racing to codify a law that would limit cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in a bid to close loopholes that allow people to be funneled into deportation proceedings before their criminal cases are resolved.
The proposed legislation, which is set to come up for final approval next week, aims to restrict the sharing of information between law enforcement officials and ICE unless a person has been convicted of a crime. This change would apply to those with final orders of removal, including thousands of individuals who may not be aware that their orders were issued outside of court hearings.
Critics argue that current practices undermine due process and discourage crime reporting, often resulting in people being deported before they can even see the charges against them. Immigrant rights advocates point to cases where clients have been arrested, only to see their charges later dropped – only for ICE to still pick them up. These instances of delayed deportation mean that individuals may be stuck in immigration detention while their cases stall.
Lawmakers say that growing fear among immigrant communities and eroding trust in law enforcement are driving the push for stronger protections. Ana Vasquez, an advocate with Wind of the Spirit, described seeing three ICE vests taking someone away from his car as a source of "fear" that's only increased in recent years. Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond Santiago echoed her concerns, stating that police officers have spoken about losing goodwill with immigrant communities.
The package of bills would also restrict police stops based on suspected immigration status and designate sensitive locations where staff could not assist ICE or the state. However, Republican lawmakers have expressed skepticism about the legislation's constitutionality and questioned why it is necessary in the first place. Despite these doubts, the proposal passed the Judiciary Committee vote along party lines.
If signed into law by Governor-elect Phil Murphy, this codification would bring New Jersey in line with many other states that already limit cooperation with ICE. Advocates hope that stronger protections will help to maintain public trust and ensure that individuals receive fair treatment under the law.
i think its about time we re-think how our law enforcement interacts with federal agencies like ice, especially when it comes to sensitive communities. its not just about keeping people safe, but also about respecting their rights as citizens... or at least, trying to be that way 
. the current laws are creating more problems than they're solving, and its only going to get worse if we don't address this now. lets hope phil murphy signs it into law and sets a good precedent for the rest of us 
I mean, think about it, if you're driving down the street and the cops pull you over for a reason unrelated to your immigration status, isn't that already a pretty invasive thing? Adding an immigration angle might just push people further away from trust in law enforcement. Plus, what's to stop cops from using this new rule as an excuse to harass someone who's not doing anything wrong? 
I'm all for protecting immigrant rights and keeping communities safe, but let's not make things worse by creating more arbitrary rules that might end up backfiring. 
. I mean, don't get me wrong, immigrants should be treated fairly too... but seriously, what's the point of having this new law if it's just gonna get blocked by the Republicans anyway? 
And can we talk about how confusing it is when they're trying to "close loopholes" while actually creating more red tape? 
Like, who exactly benefits from this extra layer of bureaucracy? 
. I mean, what's next? Creating a new law for every time someone gets stopped by the cops and says they're from another country? 
. We should always prioritize fairness & transparency, especially when it comes to folks facing deportation proceedings. It's wild how many ppl have been funneled into removal without even seeing their charges – that's basically due process fail 
. Growing fear among immigrant communities is real, and its not surprising that ppl are losing trust in law enforcement. If we wanna build trust & ensure ppl feel safe reporting crimes, these stronger protections are a step in the right direction 
. Its all about making sure individuals get treated fairly under the law – we gotta be careful with how law enforcement shares info & makes arrests 
We need to make sure everyone feels safe and respected, regardless of immigration status. 
I don't blame immigrants for not trusting cops after hearing about all those cases where people got deported before they even knew what was going on. we need laws that protect everyone, regardless of their status in the country 
. It's like, how are people supposed to report crimes if they're gonna get deported first? And what about those who aren't even aware their removal orders were issued? It's crazy.
. And those Republican lawmakers who don't get it? Like, come on, man... 
anyway, its like super unfair when people are deported before they can see their charges... dont get me wrong, everyone deserves due process but like what if you're innocent? 
and btw, growing fear among immigrant communities is no joke, i've seen friends get taken away by ICE just for having the wrong name on their record 
. Looks like 71% of NJ residents support stronger protections against ICE cooperation, according to a recent poll 
! Anyway, the proposed law aims to limit this type of cooperation unless someone has been convicted of a crime. Meanwhile, 63% of NJ communities have seen a decrease in trust with law enforcement over the past year 
. Looks like these stronger protections could help restore that trust and keep immigrant families together 
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come on guys! it's about time we take a stand against these predatory practices of ICE! they're basically fishing out people in the middle of their own justice system and dragging them to deportation. what's next? deporting people for being guilty of something that hasn't even been proven yet? 
. And good luck with that Republican skepticism... just what we need more of 
. And what's with these "growing fear" and "eroding trust in law enforcement" statements? Like, who's really responsible for that? 
. The fact that crime reporting gets discouraged and people are stuck in detention while their cases stall is just wrong 
. I mean, can you blame immigrant communities for losing trust in law enforcement when things like this happen? It's all about building bridges, not pushing people further away 
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. Like, who wants 2 be deported b4 they even know they got charges against them?! 
. Fingers crossed it gets passed & signed into law! 
Yaaas, let's do this! New Jersey is taking a huge step towards protecting its immigrant community from those harsh realities of being funneled into deportation proceedings. I mean, can you imagine getting arrested for a minor thing and then having your case put on hold while ICE comes after you? It's messed up, man! 
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. We gotta keep pushing for change until everyone has equal access to justice and safety, regardless of their background or status 
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We gotta think critically about our gov'ts actions & policies before we can make an educated decision on what's best for everyone involved 