The Department of Homeland Security had strong words for Gov. Mikie Sherrill hours after the governor laid out a
three-part plan to combat Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the Garden State.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security wrote:
“This is legally illiterate. Enforcing federal immigration laws is a clear federal responsibility under Article I, Article II and the Supremacy Clause. While New Jersey sanctuary politicians continue to release pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and murderers onto their streets, our brave law enforcement will continue to risk their lives to arrest these heinous criminals and make New Jersey safe again. How does this serve the people of New Jersey? The biggest losers are the people these politicians were elected to serve.”
The first step in the governor’s plan was to sign an executive order banning ICE from launching activities from state property, including parks and roadways. If federal officers have a warrant signed by a judge, the state will comply. This excludes public state areas.
The second step is the launch of an
online portal by the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, where people can upload videos of interactions with ICE in the state. Finally, the state is launching a
“Know Your Rights” website where residents can get immigration information.
"We are taking these three steps to protect people’s rights and to keep them safe," Sherrill said.
Acting Attorney General Jennifer Davenport spoke about the new portal launched by her office.
"We’re not encouraging anyone to interfere with ongoing law enforcement operations. Do not put your safety, the safety of others or the safety of law enforcement in jeopardy,” she said.
News 12 spoke with Amanda Dominguez, a community organizer with New Labor. She says that though she’s glad to see the steps the governor is taking, she has questions.
"Who’s going to enforce these pieces? We’ve also seen that many times ICE is conducting traffic stops on our roadways, where they’re doing these immigration actions, they’re stopping cars. detaining folks, even breaking windows," Dominguez said.
"This portal will help us to hold them accountable, to track their actions, collect that information and use it to spot patterns that can inform our response as a state, including in court," Sherrill said.