Feds ‘incentivizing’ funds for ICE cooperation worries NJ advocates

🔶 NJ feels impact of fed immigration acts
🔶 Anti-sanctuary proposal would cut funds
🔶 Advocates say states need to stand ground

New Jersey has a large immigrant population that deeply feels the impact of recent federal actions, including a proposed “No Bailouts for Sanctuary Cities Act.”

The act was reintroduced for the 119th Congress last month by U.S. Rep. Nick LaLota, R-New York.

If approved and signed by President Donald Trump, the legislation would restrict federal funding for any jurisdiction with sanctuary city policies to aid or address the migrant crisis.

The proposed restrictions include funding for food, shelter, healthcare services, legal services, and transportation costs.

American Civil Liberties Union New Jersey Executive Director Amol Sinha says the Trump Administration is trying to use federal dollars to incentivize states to do the federal government’s work, “which should concern us all.”

“States cannot be bullied into doing the bidding of the federal government,” Sinha said in an interview with New Jersey 101.5. “This has been a long held states’ rights doctrine in the United States.”

New Jersey is one of the most diverse states in the country, with immigrants representing 23% of the state’s population, according to the ACLU-NJ.

At the state level, there is an immigrant trust act already introduced, that would codify protections for law-abiding residents to stay active in communities.

It is sponsored by state Senators Gary Johnson and Brian Stack and Assembly members Ellen Park, Gabriel Rodriguez and Alixon Collazos-Gill, and was introduced back in October.

The state legislation would create new data privacy protections for people who interact with state and local agencies, limiting NJ’s involvement in the federal detention and deportation system.

“So that we’re not collecting unnecessary data about immigration status if we don’t need it,” Sinha said.

The proposed measure builds from the Immigrant Trust Directive that has been in place for state law enforcement since 2018.

Leaders cannot take a wait and see approach, Sinha continued.

“This is not obstruction, let me just say. Because there have been allegations from the president and others that communities are trying to obstruct the federal government. That’s not the case. Not being complicit with harm in our communities is not obstruction and I think that’s a very important distinction to make,” Sinha said.

The NJ immigrant trust directive does not impede law enforcement of any level from pursuing accused criminals.

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