Police Chief: Immigrants Have Nothing To Fear In Morristown

MORRISTOWN, NJ— Morristown officials took a strong stance on Tuesday, with the police chief telling immigrants at a townhall meeting "you do not have to have this fear" about deportation here.

In a video taken by MorristownGreen, Police Chief Pete Demnitz speaks passionately about previous efforts to protect undocumented immigrants in Morristown (you can watch that video below).

Demnitz particularly stresses his opposition to "287(g)," a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act that would let the Department of Homeland Security train local police officers to perform the work of immigration agents.

"There is nobody that fought 287(g) more than me ten years ago. This mayor knows I almost got fired over it," Demnitz said.

There are only two times Morristown Police will call immigration officials when an undocumented immigrant is arrested for one of two crimes, he said: aggravated sexual assault or homicide.

Demnitz's remarks come as more immigrants live in fear of deportation. President Trump has signed an executive order directing the State Department from so-called sanctuary cities who do not turn undocumented immigrants over to ICE.

That fear was magnified over the weekend when hundreds of undocumented immigrants were arrested in extensive ICE raids across the nation.

Maplewood is one of the few New Jersey towns to declare itself a sanctuary city, although others, including Bloomfield, have used language like "welcoming" city.

You can watch Demnitz's remarks here:

You can read MorristownGreen's full reporting on the meeting here.

Image via Shutterstock