Among the efforts of President Donald Trump about punishing mass deportations of undocumented immigrants and the penalty of governments who do not cooperate with ICE, the status of New Jersey as “Sanctuary’s state” became the main issue in the race for winning the governor.
One democratic candidate – South Jersey‘S Steve Sweeney – joined all Republicans in race who claim that they will end the policy of limiting cooperation with the federal immigration enforcement.
“The federal government will do what they intend,” said Sweeney. “… I do not believe in giving people false hope.”
Otherwise, on the democratic side, the conversation did not largely concern whether to keep the existing policyIN But rather whether to codify and expand it.
When the race goes forward, every candidate who has not expressed a total view will have to do it.
The “Sanctuary” is not an official term, although it is used by supporters and opponents in relation to cities and states that limit their voluntary cooperation with ICE. The democratic administration of the Governor New Jersey Phil Murphy does not accept the date in the way some jurisdictions do, but this does not stop it from becoming a political point of conversation.
“The state of the sanctuary or city does not mean that people are fully protected from the federal government’s range,” said Amol Sinha, executive director of New Jersey Acl. “It simply means that the state does not intend to give its limited resources to do something that is only the responsibility of the federal government. And this is in line with the long -term precedent and the constitution. “
On the other hand, some states have anti-sanking rules that require such cooperation.
Trump’s administration has endangered financing for the jurisdiction of the sanctuary i Act in Congress He would do it too. Courts Usually closed Trump’s attempts to refuse funds for the jurisdiction of the sanctuary during his first term, but the court disputes in this case will be continued now when he returned to the office.
State policy at the Sanctuary in New Jersey
When politicians refer to the policy of the “sanctuary” in New Jersey, they refer to the directive in immigrants in 2018, which was implemented by Murphy’s administration and updated in 2019. Because the politician has not passed through legislation, the next position of the Prosecutor General may end it.
The directive limits the voluntary commitment of the state in federal immigration and enforcement of true (ICE) in a certain purpose of strengthening trust in local law enforcement agencies, so that immigrants feel safe and sound crimes.
. directive To a huge extent, it prohibits police officers in New Jersey participating in ICE operations, providing state ICE or local resources of law enforcement agencies or asking someone’s immigration status, unless it is necessary and relevant to investigate their crime. Murphy said that the policy does notinforms the cables of “enforcing immigration law and law enforcement agencies.”
“If you are here for proper reasons and do not commit a crime, federal enforcement and immigration and power are simply with federal,” he said. “This is not our work at a state and local level.”
He said that overthrowing politics would be a “great mistake” because it “worked”.
But for the Republican Governor’s pretenders – former team Jack Ciattarelli, a former conservative radio host of Bill Paradei, State Jon Bramnick and former senator Ed Durr – along with Sweeney, this is what you should do.
Law and order
The courts have repeatedly It was found that the provisions on the sanctuary are legal, but the Trump administration was recently launched Legal battles from Chicago and Illinoisand also New York conditionover their policy of the sanctuary.
The policy of the Sanctuary in New Jersey survived legal control, and the Federal Court of Appeal determined that it was constitutional in April 2021. But this did not stop some candidates from describing him as unlawful.
Sweeney, a democrat against politics, announced for the first time that he would repeal the Sanctuary Directive in the same sentence, which said “illegal immigrants who commit crimes are not welcome in New Jersey.” He repeatedly suggested that politics is contrary to the law.
“We complain that Donald Trump breaks the law that we should not let him do, but we will also break the law, because we will say that we will not follow the rules,” he told journalists after a democratic debate at the beginning of February. “You can’t have it both ways … I think that as a nation of laws, you must follow them.”
Pressing whether law enforcement agencies in New Jersey should lend a hand ICE in an interview, said: “They should follow the regulations, regardless of the law, they should be observed.”
“We won’t chase, running, saying:” Oh, please, can we lend a hand you? ” – he said. “But we should not be an obstacle either.”
Bramnick, a republican senator, similarly suggested in Republican The debate at the beginning of February that the directive breaks federal law – claiming that the state must “follow law and order, and federal law consists in cooperation with the federal government.”
Bramnick explained in an interview that he believes that the state’s duty is to help the federal government to enforce its provisions – for example by answering questions about detained in prison – but he does not know if it is legally required.
“Look, I feel very bad some people who have been here for 30 years, and this is their lives, but we must follow the law as a governor of this country,” said Bramnick.
Codification account and politics extension
The mayor of Newark Ras Barak and the mayor of the city of Jersey, Steve Fulop, were open to the support of the Act on the trust of immigrants, an act that would codify the State Directive of the Sanctuary and expand it.
Barak said during a democratic debate that “you can’t say that you support immigrants” without supporting the bill, and Fulop said that his support for the act was “unprofitable”. Barak also said in an interview that “stupid” would be to get rid of policy partly due to the contribution of immigrants to the state economy.
Sean Spiller, the president of Njea Teachers Union and former mayor of Montclair, was not so Gung-HO about the act during the debate, but later he said in a statement to Inquirer that he also supports the act.
“As an immigrant and son of immigrants, I strongly support the Act on immigrants and the Immigrants’ Trust Directive,” said Spiller, born in Jamaica. “Considering the latest actions of Donald Trump, I encourage the legislator to act in this matter.”
Nedia Morsy, director of Make Road New Jersey, said that it would be “destructive” if the administration of the next governor reverses the directive and hopes that the legislators have “courage” to codify it with the act.
“Removing the immigrants directive gives Trump the keys to the deportation of families,” she said. “…” The state has the ability to control its own resources and should really bend into this power. “
However, US representative Miki Sherrill from ESSEX’s Funny argued that the codification of the Act may restore state policy to the hands of an uncertain judicial system and expressed concerns about the details of the act regarding the “criminal consequences for those who commit violent crimes.”
“We also know that the Directive in New Jersey has already survived the court review – and that additional action, if not precise, can undo important security, which we cannot risk under the Trump administration,” she said in a statement.
As for whether Sherrill will maintain the trust directive, The spokesman said that Trump “changes the rules quickly” and Sherrill would review the state rules and “they dealt with circumstances.”
American representative Josh Gottheimer, who lives in Bergen, said that he supports the directive, which is there, but did not comment on the law.
“Josh supports the current Jersey principles that increase trust in law enforcement agencies, helps to protect innocent immigrants and allows police officers to investigate and resolve crime,” said his spokesman Peter Optiz. “Josh’s position was very clear: if the president is trying to come to Jersey and summarize innocent people in churches and schools, Josh will do everything in his power to protect his shirt family.”
What would the Republicans do to the cities of a sanctuary?
Some municipalities in New Jersey individually declared that the cities of the sanctuary, such as The city of Newark Barak AND Fulop’s Jersey City.
HiithleIN Former state representative and Government GOP candidate, repeatedly threatened state financing from municipalities that insist on calling the cities of the Sanctuary.
“Not having cities in the sanctuary or we were a sanctuary state, this means that our local law enforcement communities can cooperate with any federal agency, which they consider to ensure security in our community,” he said in a republican debate.
A former conservative radio host, Spread, said that his administration would have “total and complete cooperation” with federal law enforcement agencies when the sanctuary was asked about the city.
He said in a statement that if the local government did not cooperate, his administration would summon the State Police or the National Guard to lend a hand in deportation if necessary. However, he did not say that there would be consequences for local jurisdiction who want to identify as a city of the sanctuary.
“If the local government decides not to cooperate, we do not hesitate to use all the tools at our disposal to ensure that our federal partners were able to complete their mission,” he said.
