West Orange Op-Ed: Town Needs To Be ‘Fair And Welcoming’ To Immigrants

WEST ORANGE, NJ — The following letter to the editor is a joint statement from local advocacy group Essex Rising in response to a recent statement from West Orange Mayor Robert Parisi. (See “West Orange Doesn’t Need A Sanctuary City Resolution, Here’s Why: Mayor.”)

“Thank you, Mayor Parisi, for bringing to the forefront of the public discourse the issue of the President’s Executive Order regarding the detention and deportation of immigrants in our country and how it affects our community and the policing policies in West Orange. The members of Essex Rising, a group of concerned West Orange residents, believe that our township should adopt formal policies establishing West Orange as a Fair & Welcoming Community and that these policies are entirely in harmony with the existing practices of the West Orange administration.

“The mayor is correct when he states that New Jersey Attorney General Law Enforcement Directive No. 2007-3 provides guidance about when local police should appropriately inquire about an arrestee’s immigration status and notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”). It does not, however, address many other immigration enforcement scenarios or information sharing that West Orange may be asked to participate in.

“We are concerned that the recent executive order on immigration enforcement makes clear that the administration intends to dramatically increase its efforts to deport noncitizens who in all other regards are responsible residents, pay taxes, and contribute to their communities and families. The order calls for, among other things, deputizing local law enforcement to act as federal immigration agents, hiring additional federal immigration officers, and vastly expanding the categories of noncitizens who are considered a priority for deportation. Existing state law does not provide sufficient guidance to municipalities. We need to know how the township will interact with federal immigration enforcement authorities in the event that ICE requests our cooperation with any of its enforcement actions, such as raids or enforcement operations against individuals. It is this issue that we believe must be addressed by the township council and administration as soon as possible.

“The Fair & Welcoming policies that we propose do not infringe upon the enforcement of criminal laws; nor do they prevent ICE from enforcing federal immigration laws. Local assistance to ICE is voluntary except where the Attorney General Directive indicates otherwise. What the policies do is ensure that local West Orange authorities are not forced into enforcing federal immigration laws at the expense of its residents. West Orange has the clear authority to adopt such policies under the New Jersey state constitution.

“There is an undetermined cost to the township, hence the taxpayer, of providing assistance to ICE. While there are threats from the White House that federal funding will be withheld from communities who enact ‘sanctuary’ laws there are significant constitutional limits on the use of the federal purse strings to compel local action.

“Like Mayor Parisi, we agree that we are fortunate in our diverse community and we applaud and support the West Orange Police Department’s efforts to establish a strong relationship of trust with the community. Immigrants in our community need to be able to report emergencies and avail themselves of vital services without fearing detention and deportation. If they cannot do so, all of us are less safe. Welcoming policies support and preserve the carefully cultivated relationship of trust between the WOPD and all residents.

“Our neighbors are beginning to feel increasingly vulnerable. We call on the Mayor and Township Council of West Orange to communicate to all residents that our township’s first priority is the well-being of all its inhabitants, not the enforcement of federal immigration laws. West Orange should establish a clear policy that the West Orange Police Department and government agents will not participate or assist in the enforcement of federal immigration law, and that they will protect the confidential personal information of all West Orange residents.

“We thank the mayor for raising this important issue and we appreciate his willingness to engage with the community in dialogue about how best to assure that West Orange remains a safe and supportive community for all its residents.”

Respectfully,

Shannon McKinnon, Esq., Chairperson Fair & Welcoming Committee of Essex Rising

• See related article: West Orange Doesn’t Need A Sanctuary City Resolution, Here’s Why: Mayor

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