Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Wednesday signed three bills designed to protect immigrants rights amid federal detainments and deportments.
The laws were enacted after years of debate — and, since Sherrill came to office in January, questions about how she would counter Immigration and Customs Enforcement tactics in a sanctuary state.
“These bills are the product of community input and legislative deliberation,” Sherrill, alongside Democratic legislators and immigration advocates, said at the signing in Newark. “They protect people’s privacy and their rights, they strengthen trust between law enforcement and our communities, and they help make sure the government delivers for the people and businesses it’s meant to serve.”
One bill gives the force of law to the Immigrant Trust Directive, issued in 2018 by then-Attorney General Gurbir Grewal, which precludes local and state law enforcement from assisting federal immigration enforcement officers.
Another bill limits the collection and sharing of personal data, including immigration status, by government and health care entities. The last bill bans local and federal officers from wearing masks and requires them to identify themselves when interacting with the public.
“New Jersey law enforcement should enforce New Jersey laws. We shouldn’t use New Jersey resources to do federal agents’ jobs,” Sherrill said. “At the same time, we are not going to allow masked federal agents to terrorize our state.”
The Immigrant Trust Directive and data-sharing bills were pocket vetoed by in January by then-Gov. Phil Murphy, who cited potential funding losses and court challenges.
In the two months since taking office, Sherrill has taken swift action to push back against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, suing ICE over its plan to turn a massive Roxbury warehouse into a detention center and signing an executive order banning ICE from conducting operations from state property.
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