Hoboken Declared ‘Fair And Welcoming City’ To Support Immigrants

HOBOKEN, NJ — In his first official act as Hoboken’s new mayor, Ravinder Bhalla signed an executive order declaring the municipality to be a “fair and welcoming city” on New Year’s Day. The order has gained the support of the city’s police chief, multiple elected officials and local community activists, Bhalla said.

“The Hoboken we know and love was built by immigrants and today is sustained by immigrants,” Bhalla said. “Many of the immigrants who found a home in Hoboken sailed past Lady Liberty and her poem welcoming ‘Your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.’”

Bhalla said that the executive order is a “reflection of our quintessential American values” and sends a message that Hoboken is a place that “welcomes all who are ready, willing, and able to contribute to our great city.”

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The executive order will mandate that local law enforcement resources will not be expended in the enforcement of federal immigration laws, and that the application of the law shall be equal irrespective of immigration status, Bhalla said.

According to the ACLU of New Jersey, the executive order will prohibit Hoboken officials from:

• Collecting information about immigration status
• Profiling people based upon race, national origin, immigration status, or other protected characteristics
• Granting federal immigration authority to local law enforcement agents
• Entering agreements to jail people who are facing deportation proceedings
• Holding people in jail based upon immigration detainers, which are non-binding requests from ICE for local governments to detain people unlawfully without a warrant
• Using city personnel and resources for federal operations such as ICE raids
• Allowing federal officials to conduct warrantless immigration searches or arrests in City facilities

Hoboken Police Chief Kenneth Ferrante was among several local officials to endorse the order, and said that he plans to issue police directive that will implement its policies.

“When we pledge allegiance to the flag, we commit ourselves to the pursuit of ‘liberty and justice for all,’ and today’s actions to create a community based on fairness and to better protect crime victims are an important step towards fulfilling that promise,” Ferrante said.

Ferrante said that studies show that undocumented residents who fall victim to crime - even heinous, violent crime - too often don't report them to police due to fear of penalties or deportation.

“I am hopeful that this policy will ease those concerns so that we as a police department can investigate alleged crimes and take violent criminals who prey on vulnerable victims off the streets and send them towards prosecution in our criminal justice system,” Ferrante said.

• See related article: This Hudson County Town Has Most Immigrants In NJ, Report Says
• See related article: This Lawyer Used To Deport Immigrants; Now She Defends Them
• See related article: Hoboken Council Settles With Vape Van Owner After Immigration Rant Raises Furor

According to Bhalla, the Hoboken City Council will also be considering the adoption of a resolution affirming the policies set forth in the executive order. (Read the full order here)

Hoboken's new status as a "fair and welcoming city" was enthusiastically supported by a plethora of state and local officials, as well as several community leaders.

Ron Bautista, former Hoboken mayoral candidate – “I lived my first 11 years in Hoboken as an undocumented immigrant, and in that time my parents and I lived in constant fear. That's one thing that Mayor Bhalla's Executive Order will change - it will make Hoboken a more welcoming city that will help our immigrant communities build a stronger relationship with our police.”

U.S. Senator Cory Booker – “Our national identity is forged by the experience of immigrants and few cities exemplify the principles of diversity and acceptance better than Hoboken. By signing this executive order declaring Hoboken a fair and welcoming city, Mayor Bhalla has made official what has always been understood: ours is a nation that welcomes, embraces, and defends those who come here with good will and the desire to make a better life. This quintessentially American value is written in our hearts and will never be erased, and while it may be under assault by those who preach intolerance, Hoboken is reminding the world that hate will not win.”

The Rev. Michael Andreano (Pastor at Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Hoboken) – “Since the time of its incorporation as a city, in 1855, our ‘fair City of Hoboken’ has always been a Welcoming City to those who left their various homelands - some voluntarily seeking a better existence for themselves and loved ones and some involuntarily, fleeing dangerous and oppressive situations, seeking refuge and a community to accept them. The Catholic Christian Community, keenly recalls that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph - the Holy Family, whose Feast we celebrated this weekend - also had to flee their ‘homeland’ seeking refuge. As such, we have always supported the compassionate welcoming of those seeking justice, safety, and a better way of life.”

ACLU-NJ Executive Director Amol Sinha – “In contrast to a federal administration that embraces policies of exclusion and xenophobia, Mayor Bhalla’s action shows what America looks like at its best: a place that values the lives and well-being of all people. By signing this order, Mayor Bhalla – a civil rights lawyer and the first turbaned Sikh mayor in America – is sending a powerful message: our towns will not be subservient to the federal government’s discriminatory and unconstitutional immigration priorities.”

State Assemblywoman Annette Chaparro – “Hoboken was and will continue to be home to many immigrants hoping to build a better future for their families. Community policing works best when there is mutual trust between the police and the community. I applaud our new mayor for signing his first executive order making Hoboken a Fair and Welcoming City and ensuring our local police can focus on keeping the community safe, not facilitating counter-productive federal policies that undermine trust and instill fear in our residents.”

Rabbi Robert Scheinberg (United Synagogue of Hoboken) – “I appreciate that in one of his first official actions, our new mayor is making it a priority to demonstrate that diversity is a strength of our city, as it is a strength of our state and our country.”

Not everyone was happy about the new status of the Mile Square City, however. The order also faced some harsh criticism from some detractors on the internet, some of whom questioned whether Bhalla was setting the municipality up to become a “sanctuary city” and risk losing federal funding under the Trump Administration.

• See related article: Can YOU Pass A U.S. Citizenship Test?

Some of the online comments included:

• “As a Hoboken resident, I am concerned that our mayor is jeopardizing federal funding on an extremely important flood project. If he chooses to openly ignore laws, that could be a problem for us.”
• “Complete and utter lawlessness and illegal. Hoboken will pay for this in many ways. Hopefully not in blood and lives only in money.”
• “1 million per year, admitted to the USA, more than all other countries combined, isn't enough? Isn't too much? Your vote pandering is devastating to legal American citizens who pay taxes, and those who actually need help the most.”
• “Mr. Mayor, can you explain your ‘welcoming’ politics? So anyone, any number (millions?) of people, who have chosen to selectively ignore/obey laws, are welcome in Hoboken? Details. Ramifications. Will you explain?”
• “Attention all illegals, Hoboken welcomes you... good luck with that residents.”

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Photo: City of Hoboken