Maplewood 1st N.J. Town To Offer Immigrants ‘Sanctuary’ In 2017

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — An Essex County town has taken a bold move to protect its residents against possible profiling and institutional discrimination as the nation prepares for a Donald Trump presidency.

On Tuesday, the Maplewood Township Council passed Resolution 3-17, which expresses the municipality’s “commitment to equal, respectful and dignified treatment of all people, regardless of their immigration status.”

The resolution makes Maplewood the first municipality in New Jersey to declare sanctuary status in 2017, according to local advocacy group New Jersey Working Families (NJWF).

The text of the resolution stops short of identifying itself verbatim as a "sanctuary city," an issue that council members vacillated on before deciding on the final version, as Maplewoodian.com reported. But the underlying protections it offers are similar to those typically seen in "sanctuary" legislation.

The resolution states that local police and other agencies will not assist federal law enforcement agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with identifying or arresting immigrants whose only alleged crime is related to their legal status.

In addition, it states that none of Maplewood’s municipal services shall be dependent on their immigration status, and requires the local police chief to develop an operating and training policy that is consistent with the resolution.

All efforts from township officials will be "in accordance with local and state laws separate of any federal immigration laws," officials stated in a Jan. 20 update on the municipal website.

See the full resolution here.

In December, East Orange became the first municipality in the Garden State to pass a sanctuary resolution in the wake of Donald Trump’s election. A similar measure was due to be considered by the Orange Township City Council on Tuesday but was tabled and will be taken up in coming weeks, according to the NJWF.

“Maplewood has been - and will continue to be - welcoming and open, embracing individuals of diverse racial, ethnic, religious and national backgrounds, and different ages and sexual orientation,” Mayor Victor DeLuca stated.

“Given the political climate in Washington, it is important for the Maplewood Township Committee to be very clear about our intentions of upholding constitutional rights and liberties for all,” DeLuca continued. “We will not participate in dividing people based on citizenship or immigration status nor will we profile or register people because of where they are from or what they believe.”

Earlier this month, DeLuca offered assurances that the township will not require residents to provide their immigration status to benefit from municipal services in 2017.

• See related article: Maplewood Mayor Says Undocumented Immigrants Can Use Town Services

"We are glad to see Maplewood support a strong policy that reiterates that they are a fair and welcoming community for all residents,” said Johanna Calle, program coordinator for New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice.

While he trumpeted the resolution as a victory for local immigration populations, NJWF Political Director Craig Garcia said that more needs to be done across the state.

“As we head towards a presidency that has pledged to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, we need to take action to defend our immigrant communities,” Garcia said. “The passing of policies protecting immigrant communities in Maplewood affirms that New Jersey needs to be a sanctuary state. NJ Working Families and our partners are ready to work with communities across the state to protect residents again the xenophobia and bigotry of the Trump administration.”

UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS

Other recent public statements have been made regarding sanctuary city-themed policies in Essex County.

In November, responding to students' concerns, Rutgers President Robert Barchi said that the school’s Newark and New Brunswick campuses will protect the privacy of undocumented immigrants attending the university.

"We will protect student confidentiality and will not share private information unless required by law or a court order," Barchi stated. "We expect all persons associated with the university to protect student privacy and confidentiality, as well."

• See related article: Rutgers President Offers ‘Sanctuary Campus,' Newark Students Worry After Trump Victory
• See related article: Newark Protests Trump, Mayor Says City Will Protect Undocumented Immigrants

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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