Deadly ICE crackdown sparks NJ uprising as cardinal, senators and mayor push back

☑️ Newark Cardinal Joseph Tobin calls ICE “lawless” and urges protests

☑️ U.S. Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim and Gov. Mikie Sherrill escalate backlash

☑️ NJ mayor issues an executive order blocking ICE enforcement on city property

Cardinal Joseph Tobin joins the list of New Jersey leaders pushing back at ICE, following two fatal shootings of U.S. citizens in Minneapolis and the presence of agents around in the Garden State.

Following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis on Saturday, the leader of the Archdiocese of Newark called for people to protest the Trump Administration’s immigration crackdown during an online interfaith prayer service hosted by Faith in Action. On Sunday, the most important Catholic leader in New Jersey called ICE “lawless" and urged people to call on U.S. senators to vote against an appropriations bill

"I think if we are serious about putting our faith in action, we need to say 'no,' each one of us," Tobin said. "We mourn for a world, a country that allows 5-year-olds to be legally kidnapped and protesters to be slaughtered."

The death of Pretti followed the deadly Jan. 7 shooting of Renee Good by an ICE agent. The deadly encounters as well as the Trump administration's defense of the officers has fueled further backlash against the high-profile enforcement actions in the norther state and elsewhere.

ALSO READ: Recent ICE arrests in NJ highlight immigration tensions

Booker, Kim and Sherrill denounce ICE funding and tactics

Tobin was one of three U.S. Catholic cardinals who last week urged the U.S. to check its moral compass in the wake of recent world events.

“The events in Venezuela, Ukraine and Greenland have raised basic questions about the use of military force and the meaning of peace,” they wrote. “Our country’s moral role in confronting evil around the world, sustaining the right to life and human dignity, and supporting religious liberty are all under examination. And the building of just and sustainable peace, so crucial to humanity’s well-being now and in the future, is being reduced to partisan categories that encourage polarization and destructive policies.”

U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said before the shooting of Alex Pretti that he would not vote for any additional spending on ICE or the Department of Homeland Security. A "no" vote is also expected from Sen. Andy Kim.

“I’m not voting to fund this lawless violence," Kim said. "Trump’s abuse of power is tearing us apart. We have three years left of this presidency, and either we stand up and protect our democracy now, or we risk going down a path that is unthinkable, will hurt countless people and do irreversible damage to our country."

ALSO READ: The immigration debate dividing New Jersey: Where do you stand?

ICE raids in New Jersey trigger local bans and arrests

Gov. Mikie Sherrill issued a statement on Sunday denouncing the killing of Pretti. She blamed a "reckless organization" whose leaders have lost control.

"These untrained, masked agents aren’t making communities safer – they’re occupying cities, inciting violence, and violating the Constitution. And there must be accountability for their lawless actions," the Democrat said.

During an interview on WNYC radio, Sherrill called for the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem because agents are "acting completely outside the scope of their duties."

New Jersey City Mayor James Solomon on Friday issued an executive order that prohibits city property from being used for immigration raids.

"More than 40% of our residents were born abroad — over 118,000 people from India, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, China, Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia, Korea, Haiti, and dozens of other nations," Solomon said. "To every immigrant resident: You belong here. This is your home. And this city will fight for you."

Solomon took the action after ICE raids around the state led to the arrest of 11 in Morristown, two in Princeton and two in Red Bank.

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