Gov. Mikie Sherrill said she wants ICE observers to “help to keep New Jersey safe” by documenting federal immigration operations in the Garden State. (Photo by Dana DiFilippo/New Jersey Monitor)
By Sophie Nieto-Muñoz
Reprinted with permission
New Jersey Monitor
Gov. Mikie Sherrill revealed new details Wednesday about a state website intended to let state officials gather information about federal immigration enforcement actions in New Jersey.
The site allows ICE observers to alert the state about immigration activities, including with photos or videos, but it will not allow the public to view that material, Sherrill told reporters at the Statehouse in Trenton. The state Attorney General’s Office will access the information to track where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are arresting New Jerseyans.
“If you’re approached by an agent or see an ICE operation taking place and you’re at a safe distance, get out your phones, send us your videos, and help to keep New Jersey safe,” Sherrill said.
Sherrill, a Democrat who took office last month, announced plans for the state website recently on “The Daily Show.” At the time, she said the state will be “standing up a portal so people can upload all their cellphone videos and alert people” about ICE activities.
On Wednesday, she said the material uploaded by residents will help state officials understand trends around where ICE is conducting enforcement and track who is being detained by federal authorities without relying on the federal government for information. Language on the site says people should use the site to “report incidents involving harmful conduct by, or negative interactions with, federal personnel conducting immigration enforcement in New Jersey.”
“This helps us understand if they are picking up people in our state. We are hoping that we will be able to better track that. If people have some video evidence of that, we can figure out who they are,” Sherrill said.
The site launched amid an uptick in confrontations between immigration agents and members of the public documenting their actions. As the Trump administration has carried out its mass detention and deportation plan, residents opposed to the effort have used social media or group chats to alert their neighbors when immigration agents are nearby.
Sherrill’s announcement came one day after an ICE officer shot the tires of a car driven by a suspect in Roxbury. That incident is under investigation, said acting Attorney General Jen Davenport. Federal officials said the suspect was evading arrest and rammed his car into an officer’s vehicle.
Republicans criticized the new governor for encouraging residents to document and share information about federal immigration operations. Assemblyman Erik Peterson (R-Hunterdon) called it another example of “Democrats protecting criminals.”
“This is state-sponsored intimidation of federal law enforcement, plain and simple,” said Assemblyman John DiMaio (R-Warren). “It’s reckless. And it’s dangerous.”
Sherrill said she’s not concerned about provoking the Trump administration.
“Certainly, it should not provoke anybody to demand that law enforcement officers are being held to the highest standard as our New Jersey law enforcement officers are, that they are working to keep the public safe, and that they are acting in accordance with the law and the Constitution,” Sherrill said.
Sherrill said that when state officials have pressed the Trump administration for details about immigration actions, they’ve received incorrect or vague information. The new website will allow the state to “have some facts ourselves,” she said.
She advised against any residents putting themselves in the way of law enforcement.
New York and California also created similar websites that allow people to post videos of ICE interactions for state officials to review.
Sherrill also signed an executive order on Wednesday limiting federal immigration enforcement operations on state-owned property controlled by the executive branch — like state offices — without a judicial warrant.
Officials said they can’t stop ICE agents from entering public places, like train stations or roadways, to conduct lawful arrests. The executive order limits agents from using state property as a “staging area, processing location, or operations base” to conduct civil immigration enforcement.
