Newark Pushes Back Against Trump Administration’s ICE Crackdown

NEWARK, NJ — Many Newark residents, including the city’s mayor, are pushing back against the Trump Administration’s upcoming immigration crackdown in “sanctuary cities” across the U.S.

Last week, officials in the Trump Administration announced plans to send U.S. Custom and Border Protection agents to several states – including New Jersey – as part of a crackdown in cities that protect undocumented immigrants from federal prosecution.

The specially trained officers are being sent to communities to boost the enforcement power of local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, according to The New York Times and The Associated Press. Agents are expected to be sent to cities including Newark, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, New Orleans and Detroit.

In the Garden State, the move apparently takes aim at Attorney General Gurbir Grewal's "trust directive," which he issued in 2018 to all state, county and local law enforcement agencies in New Jersey limiting the types of voluntary assistance their officers may provide to ICE.

• See related article: Trump Administration's Reported ICE Crackdown In NJ, Elsewhere

On Sunday, Mayor Ras Baraka said that Newark is and has been a “fair and welcoming city,” and its residents plan to fight to keep it that way.

“Nearly three years ago, I signed a 10-page executive order to protect undocumented people from aggressive government intervention in their lives,” Baraka said. “The language used by the Attorney General is divisive. It provokes fear and incites hatred, the very two destructive emotions we want to negate in our approach to ‘A Fair and Welcoming City,’ the name of my executive order.”

Baraka scoffed at the notion that sanctuary cities are putting “criminal aliens” before law-abiding citizens.

“This is simply not true,” the mayor said. “There is absolutely no sanctuary in this city for dangerous criminals.”

According to Baraka, Newark “vigorously prosecutes” undocumented people arrested for a multitude of violent, assaultive and exploitive crimes, including domestic violence, and notifies the appropriate federal immigration officials when it does.

But it’s also important that undocumented immigrants – a historically vulnerable population – feel safe working with police, Baraka added.

The new federal crackdown will seriously undermine the city’s effort to build trust with its undocumented residents, he said.

“Equally, every other aspect of our policy gives undocumented people the dignity of recognition,” Baraka said. “We give them ID cards so they can work, open bank accounts, obtain building permits or start businesses and build their community, all hallmarks of the immigrant American Dream. We offer them city services to ensure their health and welfare, or that their homes are up to code. The executive order protects them from any city government or police discrimination or profiling.”

Here’s the thing, Baraka added: such a philosophy isn’t new in the Brick City.

“Being ‘A Fair and Welcoming City’ is an intrinsic part of our history, from the earliest German and Irish immigrants, to the Italians and Jewish people, and the largest group of all, the African-American migrants from the south,” Baraka said.

The upcoming crackdown isn’t the first time the Trump Administration has caused an uproar in Newark with its immigration policies.

Last year, President Donald Trump announced federal officials were planning immigration raids in 10 major U.S. cities. Although Trump later chose to delay the raids, Mayor Baraka said that Newark has already been paying the price for opening its arms to undocumented people.

“Since the time we declared ourselves a 'sanctuary city,' we in Newark have been witnessing more ICE activity in our community,” Baraka said in June 2019. “In fact, in 2018, ICE arrested over 3,000 people, which is a seven percent increase over the previous year, which means they have stepped up enforcement in this area, due to the fact that we have declared ourselves a 'sanctuary city.'"

• See related article: Split Opinions In Essex County As Trump Postpones ICE Raids

PROTEST IN NEWARK

On Feb. 17, as part of its ongoing series of “Justice Monday” protests, the Newark-based People’s Organization for Progress blasted the new crackdown.

Decrying the “militarization of sanctuary cities,” the group rallied at the federal building at Broad and Court streets (watch a video of the rally).

“The problem of over-policing and police brutality will only worsen with this invasion of communities who dare to have humane immigration sensibilities,” said Lawrence Hamm, the organization’s founding chairperson.

“This is why Trump must go,” Hamm emphasized.

• See related article: A ‘Radical’ From Newark Is Running For US Senate In 2020

Meanwhile, immigrant rights activists are planning to hold a “No Militarization of Our Streets” rally at the Peter Rodino Federal Building, 970 Broad Street in Newark at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 20.

Learn more about this local event.

According to New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, the rally – which also takes aim at the Trump Administration’s travel ban that takes effect on Feb. 22 – is being held to protest “hateful xenophobic policies.”

This article contains reporting from Tom Davis, Patch staff

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Sign up for Patch email newsletters.