Bergen County Town Vows To Protect Residents After ICE Questions Them

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Now that immigration agents have conducted operations in the town of Teaneck — including stopping a student on the way to school, officials say — the town passed a resolution Tuesday outlining how they'll support the residents.

Council members used strong language to condemn recent national and local actions taken by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, specifically citing the "use of excessive and unjustified force in civil immigration enforcement."

"We're not debating an abstract," said Deputy Mayor Denise Belcher at the meeting Tuesday. "We're responding to fear that is real, grief that is real, and harm that is already happening in our community. In recent months federal ICE agents have increased their presence in and around Teaneck. Residents have been stopped, questioned, detained, parents have hesitated to walk their children to school... families have wondered whether an ordinary day could end in permanent separation."

She said the fear itself can become dangerous.

"When people are afraid to call the police, afraid to seek medical care, afraid to participate in civic life, the fabric of our community begins to tear," Belcher said. "Public safety suffers, trust erodes...more than one in four of our neighbors is foreign-born."

The resolution in question, authored by Councilman Michael Pagan, is the "Proposed Resolution Expressing Teaneck's Commitment to Equal, Respectful and Dignified Treatment of All People, Regardless of Their Immigration Status" (see it linked below).

Belcher said the resolution does several things:

• Clarifies that every person in town will be treated with dignity regardless of immigration status
• Says that local government will not do the federal government's civil enforcement work
• Says that town services will be offered to residents regarding of status.

"This resolution does not defy federal law," Belcher noted. "It does not obstruct justice...what it does is draw a bright, principled line around what Teaneck will and will not be complicit in. We condemn the use of excessive and unjustified force in civil immigration enforcement..."

The resolution cites Alex Pretti, Renee Good, Keith Porter, and those who've died in federal detention centers, including a New Jersey resident.

"Teaneck will follow the law but it will not abandon its values," she said. "This is not radical. This is not reckless. This is what leadership looks like when a community chooses humanity over fear."

Councilman Michael Pagan cited at least eight Bergen County towns — including Hackesnack, Englewood, Lodi, Fairview, Garfield, Ridgefield, and Palisades Park — that have seen a presence from ICE.

"These ICE agents continue to terrorize our communities, rip apart our families, and jeopardize public safety," he said.

"Do not normalize the idea that rights are only for one side and not everyone," he added. "We have defeated hate before and we can do it again, not by becoming what we claim to oppose and not by hating each other harder. We do it the American way; we do it the Teaneck way.

"We do it by refusing permission, by defending due process, by demanding accountability, by being humane in how we treat each other, and by rejecting political violence."

Councilwoman Danielle Gee said that her mother is a Haitian immigrant who speaks with an accent.

"She is concerned every day when she goes out into public that she will be potentially identified just because of the way that she speaks and the way she looks," Gee said.

Pagan noted, "Local government is where democratic habits live or die. It happens in rooms like this."

Was Schoolgirl Questioned?

Teaneck officials have confirmed two operations related to ICE in the township recently.

Teaneck Mayor Mark Schwartz, Police Chief Andrew McGurr, and other local officials sent a letter to residents on Jan. 30 confirming that ICE agents were in Teaneck on Jan. 24, but they were not specific about the operations.

"This was not the first time they have been in town and may not be the last," officials wrote in the letter. "The Teaneck Police Department has, and continues to, abide by the NJ Office of the Attorney General Directive No. 2018-6 v2.2, Immigrant Trust Directive, when dealing with ICE or members of immigrant communities."

The state directive says that with certain exceptions, police in New Jersey can't provide ICE with access to state or local law enforcement resources, and can't question people solely based on immigration status.

And on Jan. 29, according to Teaneck officials, ICE agents stopped a man and his niece on the way to school that morning. Ultimately, the pair were not detained, and the girl showed up for school, officials said.

A NJ.com report said the man was let go after agents determined he was a U.S. citizen.

A Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman gave Patch a statement after the act was reported, saying, "No child was taken. No one was arrested. Misinformation and baseless accusations like these are part of a deliberate smear campaign by individuals seeking to spread fear and confusion."

The school district's letter to the public said, "Specifically, ICE officials encountered an adult and child as they were on the way to school. The incident did not occur on Teaneck school district property. The adult was not ultimately detained and the child reported safely to school."

The letter notes, "We recognize that reports of this nature can be unsettling, and we encourage families to rely on official district communications for accurate information."

Concerns About National And Local Actions

Recent reports in national media about children in detention centers have added to officials' concerns.

North Jersey news outlets reported last month that ICE arrested a Morris County teenager, who was later released, and nabbed a father who was watching over his 6-year-old daughter.

Concerns ramped up after the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens by ICE during protests in Minnesota.

More recently, ICE agents arrested 10 people in Jersey City, the agency confirmed. READ MORE: 10 People Taken By ICE In Operation Near Jersey City/Hoboken Border

Rep. Josh Gottheimer, who represents Bergen County, said recently, "I believe that you can have tough borders, keep the gang members, terrorists, and other criminals out, and still live up to our values, offering the promise of our democracy to newcomers looking to achieve that same American dream our families did."

See the Teaneck resolution here.

See the video here:

See 17:00 for the discussion.

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