‘Know Your Rights’: Newark Groups Offer Advice For NJ Immigrants

NEWARK, NJ — Stay silent. Don’t agree to a search. Ask to speak to a lawyer. And don’t run. This is some of the advice that local advocates in Newark are offering the community as a major immigration crackdown takes place across the nation.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raided a local business in Newark on Jan. 23. Three undocumented residents were arrested. Agents also detained multiple U.S. citizens, including a military veteran who showed the officers his identification – but was held and questioned anyway. ICE agents did not have a warrant, city officials said.

The raid took place just days after President Donald Trump’s inauguration, and ignited a firestorm of controversy that has many community members speaking out in fear and anger.

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Several advocacy groups in Newark have teamed up to create a toolkit for immigrants affected by the crackdown (see it online here). The toolkit includes items such as:

• ‘Know Your Rights’ informational flyers and cards (available in Spanish, English, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, & more) to prepare for and reference during an encounter with ICE
• A sample of a court-issued judicial warrant to help identify authenticity
• Sample policies and written procedures that other agencies and businesses can adopt to protect immigrant rights at their sites
• A “Power of Attorney” template parents can use to delegate authority of their children to a trusted friend or family member

The toolkit was developed with help from the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, ACLU-New Jersey, Rutgers Law School, and the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice.

“It is vital that we educate ourselves and our communities,” said Peter Rosario, president and CEO at La Casa de Don Pedro, a nonprofit that is helping to spearhead the local effort in Newark.

“With the amount of misinformation surrounding the ever-changing immigration laws and policies in our country, it’s easy to be confused and uninformed,” Rosario said.

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Other groups that have joined the Newark Immigrant Resource Collaborative include FOCUS, Newark Emergency Services for Families, and the Ironbound Community Corporation.

“We believe that no one should live in fear due to their immigration status,” said Hazel Applewhite, CEO at the Ironbound Community Corporation.

“Through this collaborative, we are strengthening our collective ability to provide critical resources and advocacy for our neighbors,” Applewhite added.

Advocates also said they will be helping local families if a family member is detained – or deported.

“It’s not just immigrants who are affected, as families and communities will be torn apart when parents are deported but their children and loved ones are left behind,” FOCUS executive director Maritza Arauz said.

Plans are also underway to create an immigrant resource center at 23 Broadway in Newark’s Lower Broadway district, which will serve as a hub for educational workshops, basic supplies such as food and clothing, and referrals for medical care/mental health services.

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The effort has already attracted attention from one philanthropy source – the Victoria Foundation – which has donated $250,000 in support, organizers said.

“We believe all people of color should have the opportunity to realize the American Dream,” executive director Craig Drinkard said. “This value includes migrants in Newark who came to this country for a better life.”

>> To learn more about the Newark Immigrant Resource Collaborative, click here or contact Ivonne Salazar, chief of staff at La Casa de Don Pedro, at isalazar@lacasanwk.org

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