Maplewood Mayor: Undocumented Immigrants Can Use Town Services

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Reacting to national concerns about Constitutional rights and immigration in the 21st century, Maplewood’s mayor recently offered assurances that the township will not require residents to provide their immigration status to benefit from municipal services in 2017.

During Mayor Victor DeLuca’s State of the Township address on Sunday, he hinted that Maplewood officials may be leaning towards a sanctuary city-style approach to municipal policy about undocumented immigrants.

TAP Into SOMA posted the text of DeLuca’s speech which can be seen in full here:

“We on the Maplewood Township Committee take our commitment to the Constitution very seriously. Our community will continue to be welcoming and open, embracing individuals of diverse racial, ethnic, religious and national backgrounds, and different ages and sexual orientation. And we will not condition the provision of township services or benefits on matters related to citizenship or immigration status and we will not take any action to profile or register individuals or groups based on religion, race, ethnicity, national origin or immigration status.”

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

Photo: Maplewood Township

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