Ocean Legislators Blast NJ Directive To Curb ICE Cooperation

TOMS RIVER, NJ — A directive from Gov. Phil Murphy ordering jails in New Jersey to reduce their cooperation with federal immigration authorities is drawing fire from Ocean County legislators.

State Sen. Jim Holzapfel and Assemblymen Greg McGuckin and Dave Wolfe of the 10th Legislative District blasted the directive, calling it another step in the quest to turn New Jersey into a sanctuary state.

"Governor Murphy’s directive will prevent our jails from working with ICE to deport known criminals who are already in custody," Holzapfel said. "It’s an outrageous and dangerous political statement that jeopardizes the safety of millions of New Jersey residents. We shouldn’t allow the governor to create a sanctuary for criminals in our state."

As a result of the Governor’s directive, Ocean County jails are required to limit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to internal networks to match inmates and wanted immigrants sought after by ICE.

The so-called "Immigrant Trust Directive" was established by the Murphy administration to counter the aggressive immigration policies of President Donald Trump.

According to New Jersey Attorney General Attorney Gurbir Grewal, the directive is meant to enhance public safety by building trust with the immigrant community.

"If the attorney general’s goal is improve public safety, it seems counter-intuitive to make it more difficult for the federal government to locate criminals who have broken the law to pursue deportation," McGuckin said. "It’s all part of Governor Murphy’s agenda to turn New Jersey into the California of the East Coast, without any regard for our constituents. In case the Governor hasn’t noticed, it’s not working so well in places like Los Angeles and San Francisco, where many neighborhoods have become tent cities."

Prior to the directive, Ocean County jails were visited frequently by ICE agents looking to cross reference the identities of inmates with wanted immigrants in their database. Under the new directive, agents are only allowed to access a database that is available to all members of the general public. Additionally, county jails now will only hold an inmate sought by ICE if the federal agency has a warrant for his or her arrest.

Ocean County jail officials have reduced their cooperation with ICE in accordance with the directive, the Asbury Park Press reported. Officials confirmed ICE agents may no longer access the jail to determine if an inmate being held inside is also wanted by ICE — unless the agents have a warrant.

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