More than 1,000 Join Make the Road New Jersey in Urging County Officials to Demand Release of ICE Detainees in NJ 

As ICE Detainee at Bergen County Jail Tests Positive for COVID-19, Push to Release Detainees Grows

(Elizabeth, NJ) March 25, 2020:   More than one thousand individuals called for the release of immigrants held in ICE custody at NJ county jails today in a petition sent to Bergen, Essex and Hudson county officials, with a copy sent to the ICE Newark Field Office. Make the Road New Jersey members with detained family in these jails also released a video urging the release of detainees for public safety during COVID-19.

As more than 4,000 individuals test positive for COVID-19 in New Jersey, there are now multiple confirmed cases of coronavirus at the county jails in Bergen, Hudson, and Essex, including an ICE detainee at Bergen County jail. Over the past week, immigrant detainees at each jail have gone on hunger strike to demand release.

The petition urges Bergen, Essex and Hudson County Officials and the Newark ICE Field Office to “immediately address the unique threat which COVID-19 represents for those detained in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and to push for the release of all individuals detained in ICE custody.”

“I have a loved one currently in ICE custody at the Essex County Jail and every day I am fearful that he will test positive for COVID-19 and not have the proper medical attention. I am very worried about his health and his safety if he gets sick. I don’t think he will get adequate medical care. For all of our safety in New Jersey, we must release detainees to be home with their loved ones.” said Laura, member of Make the Road NJ.

For a copy of the letter, email info@maketheroadnj.org.

Make the Road New Jersey builds the power of immigrant and working class communities to achieve dignity and respect through community organizing, legal and support services, policy innovation and transformative education.

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