“If you see an ICE agent in the street, get your phone out, we want to know,” said New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill as she announced a new state-run public portal to track ICE activity across the state.
The online portal is expected to launch within the next few days and will allow citizens to upload videos, photos, and document firsthand accounts of ICE activity. The portal will be operated by the state attorney general’s office, which has been ordered to collect reports, investigate incidents, and coordinate with local law enforcement when necessary. The goal of this portal is to “improve transparency and protect residents’ civil rights”. All reports will be confidential, so undocumented residents can safely submit information.
Sherrill, in a statement on the portal, said, “[ICE] will pick people up, they will not tell us who they are, they will not tell us if they’re here legally, they won’t check. They’ll pick up American citizens. They picked up a five-year-old child. We want documentation, and we are going to make sure we get it”.
New Jersey has seen increased ICE activities over the last few days, with many residents being detained yesterday, according to state officials and local advocacy groups.
After hearing reports of ICE activity at the 9th Street Light Rail Station yesterday, Jersey City Councilmember Jake Ephros arrived only to witness another person being detained. When confronted about whether they had a warrant, ICE agents said, “There’s nothing you can say that is going to prevent us from doing our job. Just letting you know, so you’re wasting your time… We don’t need a warrant, bro. Stop getting that in your head”.
Many state officials have spoken out about ICE’s presence and actions across the state. Hoboken Mayor Emily Jabbour said at a town meeting last night, “These stories are deeply troubling. It makes you feel unsafe in your own community, and it makes you worry for your neighbors”.
In a statement addressing ICE activities in Jersey City, Mayor James Solomon reiterated that “local police are barred from aiding ICE without a judge’s warrant, and city property may not be used for immigration operations”. He called videos of people being detained on their way to work “extremely disturbing”.
Assemblyman Ravi Bhalla said, “Hoboken and Jersey City will not bend to ICE’s lawlessness… Our communities are stronger and more resilient when we come together.”
Federal immigration officials are not notifying local police when they are carrying out operations because they worry “sanctuary politicians” may try to block them from cooperating with ICE agents.
The Department of Homeland Security has yet to release an official statement addressing the activities taking place in New Jersey.
