NJ Immigrant Advocates Rally At State House To Protest Budget

NEW JERSEY — More than 100 immigrants, advocates and artists held a rally in New Jersey’s capital city earlier this week to protest the state budget – and what they say is a chronic lack of investment in their communities.

Activists held a protest in Trenton on Monday to call for changes in this year’s proposed budget – as well as future ones – appealing to lawmakers and gathering on the front steps and in the courtyard of the State House.

According to a statement from organizers, state lawmakers have fast-tracked massive tax cuts for corporations and wealthy homeowners over the last month, while several bills that would help working-class and immigrant families have hit brick walls. And now, the Garden State’s immigrant community has reached a breaking point, advocates say.

New Jersey lawmakers have until June 30 to approve a budget for the next fiscal year, which starts on July 1. Full Assembly and Senate votes on the new spending plan are expected to take place Friday.

And once the annual budget race is over, immigrant communities will remember which elected officials fought in their name – and which didn’t, advocates say.

“Starting next month, lawmakers are going to return to their districts to begin campaigning for their re-election,” said Erik Cruz Morales of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, a coalition of more than 50 local social justice groups that spearheaded the protest.

“It will be the same as it has always been – they will visit our bodegas, eat at our family restaurants, stop by our cultural centers and have booths at our festivals,” Morales continued. “They’ll ask if they can count on us in November. But we are here to ask, why can’t we count on them now?”

At Monday’s rally, advocates pointed to a “stark contrast” between the size of New Jersey’s immigrant communities and their “relatively small share of budget and policy priorities,” counting language access, legal services and protections for communities of color as some of the top issues they were fighting for.

While some protesters filled the courtyard with music and dance, others made speeches about the needs that immigrant communities in New Jersey are facing.

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The event was hosted by Asian American Pacific Islanders-Montclair, the American Civil Liberties Union, American Friends Service Committee, Faith in New Jersey, League of Women Voters-New Jersey, Make the Road-New Jersey, Newark Communities for Accountable Policing, New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Justice, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, New Labor, Palestinian American Community Center, Thrive Coalition- New Jersey, Unidad Latina en Acción, and Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center.

Supporters of Monday’s rally included:

Abire Sabbagh, Palestine Education Director at the Palestinian American Community Center – “Speaking on behalf of the Arab and Palestinian population, our community is struggling with language representation and data aggregation. We still are not recognized as a racial category in the census and most official documentation. How can our community get proper health care, educational representation and cultural competency, or proper political representation when we do not exist in legal and governmental documents? On top of that, our Arabic speaking population still struggles with understanding and filling out official documents because they are not provided in Arabic and there are minimal translation opportunities. With one of the highest concentrations of Arab people in the country, New Jersey should be prioritizing the inclusion of Arab speaking individuals, who constantly add to the diversity, vibrancy and richness of the state.”

Laura Choi of the E Pluribus Unum Project – “Celebrating Immigrant Heritage Month acknowledges the often invisible labor of immigrants and the unique challenges they face. Prioritizing policies, such as the Language Access bill and the Data Disaggregation bill, not only give non-English speakers a sense of belonging and independence, but will contribute to the cultural and economic richness of NJ. The ability to communicate is deeply tied to one’s sense of belonging and to one’s capacity to live up to their potential. A lack of language access is often a primary barrier to independence and contribution to their community. NJ is a culturally rich and diverse state with growing populations that are underserved. Being a welcoming state is embedded in New Jersey’s DNA, investing in immigrant communities is what has made this state so great.”

Jessica Bustamante, organizer with Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resource Center – “As the Legislature meets to finalize next year’s budget, they need to know that our communities can’t afford another year without guaranteed protections under the law. Almost half of New Jersey’s children live in immigrant families. They need to know they can access the services they deserve and be able to speak up for themselves. They also need protections so they won’t lose their parents due to a traffic ticket or a routine appointment for healthcare or the DMV that gets them deported. We need a Values Act before the end of the year, and if our representatives won’t give it a hearing, then WE will be heard today.”

Priscilla Monico Marín, Executive Director of the New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children – “We call on our legislators to prioritize and allocate resources for programs that benefit immigrant youth and families, ensuring equitable access to justice and the opportunity for all to thrive in our great state. Like Language Access, the Legal Representation for Children and Youth Program it's a game-changer for immigrant youth in New Jersey. It not only provides legal representation but also vital support and guidance to our youth in navigating a new country and all its systems. By securing legal representation, young people are not only safeguarded from deportation, but feel safe and empowered to pursue opportunities. This program provides stability and the ability for youth to focus on educational opportunities, allowing them to build a future where they can continue to call New Jersey home.”

Amy Torres, Executive Director with New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice – “It’s not just the legislature’s inaction that is actively harming our communities – the lack of political courage allows extremist groups to gain ground. The state’s share of reported hate crimes and incidents has risen dramatically over the last few years – those actors feel emboldened when they see our State’s highest leaders say immigrant rights and racial justice aren’t ‘important enough’ or are too ‘politically risky.’ We are losing our people to both policy neglect and hate-fueled violence.”

ACLU of New Jersey Campaign Strategist Ami Kachalia – “On the anniversary of SCOTUS striking down the federal right to abortion, we are reminded how far New Jersey still must go to protect and advance fundamental rights for all who call it home. As one of the most diverse states in the nation, we have an obligation to ensure that New Jersey is fair and welcoming for all by enacting policy change that reflects those values, including the Reproductive Equity Act, the New Jersey Voting Rights Act, a bill to allow municipalities to create strong civilian oversight of police, and the Values Act – all of which remain stalled by lawmakers who choose inaction over progress. We call on the Legislature to advance these important bills so New Jersey can once again be a national leader in civil rights.”

Nuzhat Chowdhury, Senior Counsel with the Democracy and Justice Program at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice – “Legislators must prioritize issues affecting racial and social justice in New Jersey, including those that strengthen our democracy. This includes passing a New Jersey Voting Rights Act to ensure access to the ballot — including language access — for everyone in our diverse state.”

Awinna Martinez, Policy Director of New Jersey Policy Perspective – “Over the last month, lawmakers have fast-tracked big tax cuts for corporations and wealthy homeowners while bills to help working-class and immigrant families have stalled. As the saying goes, budgets are about what we value as a state, and the Legislature is sending a clear message of who they value and who they do not. New Jersey is one of the most diverse states in the nation, and there’s no good policy rationale for holding up proposals, like the Values Act and Language Access.”

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