New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice Supports Newark’s Fair and Welcoming Policy

NEWARK, NJ (June 21, 2017) – The New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice (NJAIJ) supports Mayor Ras Baraka’s strong stance against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by adopting a “Fair and Welcoming” policy that protects the city’s immigrants.

On Monday, Mayor Baraka signed an executive order stating that ICE officials will not be permitted to enter municipal properties without a judicial warrant. Furthermore, it will bar any public employee from asking individuals about immigration status and citizenship. In the last year alone, immigration arrests in the state have jumped 20 percent and deportation 30 percent under Trump’s first 100 days. That’s 41,300 taken into custody, 400 each day, an increase of 38 percent. This policy, therefore, protects the city from liabilities that could occur due to possible civil rights violations.

There are several key elements of the Fair and Welcoming Policy that the NJAIJ supports:

• The city is initiating an Immigrant Commission to help provide vision and clarity to future policies that will affect the immigrant communities of Newark.
• There will be a non-discriminatory policy where people will not be asked about their citizenship or immigration status except where required by state or federal law.
• The city will also provide free language services to all city agencies for individuals with limited proficiencies in English, helping immigrants to become more acclimated to American life.
• The city will compile a quarterly report that will track the number times ICE contacts the city.
• ICE agents will not be allowed to enter any public buildings within the city of Newark to arrest an undocumented person unless they present a judicial warrant.

The NJAIJ and members of its organizations voiced their support at the press conference on Monday. They see the new order as one of the strongest policies in the country. The advocacy groups hope other cities will take similar action to help defend and uphold the civil rights of its residents, regardless of their status.

“Mayor Baraka and city officials have taken the brave step to stand up to ICE to protect undocumented immigrants,” said Johanna Calle, program coordinator, New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. “We look forward to working with the city of Newark to see that the programs laid out in the executive order are fully implemented.”

The new policy clearly limits ICE-police collaboration, which damages the trust between the community and law enforcement so necessary in fighting crime. By not cooperating with ICE, police officers can focus on the critical job that they were trained to do – protecting all of the residents of Newark.

“This executive order sends a clear message that Newark is indeed an inclusive community that embraces and protects all residents-no matter where they were born,” said Kevin Brown, 32BJ SEIU vice president and New Jersey state director. “We applaud Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and City Council for supporting this strong “Fair and Welcoming” executive order, and we urge other municipalities and the state to adopt similar policies.”

The city will also support immigrant victims of crime by providing U visa certifications for victims of qualifying crimes and their families who are cooperating with law enforcement in an investigation or prosecution of the crime. The U visa is a tool in the community policing tool belt of local law enforcement, where victims of crime will feel safe reporting crime, without fear of deportation.

“This Fair and Welcoming Policy sends a clear message that the city of Newark wants its immigrant residents to be treated with dignity and respect and to live and work in the city without fear that local law enforcement is voluntarily collaborating with ICE,” said Nicole Polley Miller, Esq., legal services director, American Friends Services Committee.  “ICE-police collaboration erodes trust in local law enforcement and makes all of our communities less safe.”

For more information on the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, please visit their website at http://www.njimmigrantjustice.org/.

The New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice

The New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice is a statewide membership-based coalition that supports immigrants to become economically, politically and socially established in the state. Through our member organizations, we work to ensure that New Jersey’s immigrant communities are leaders in the development of policies that impact their lives and the lives of all New Jersey residents. Through the work of NJAIJ and its members, New Jersey will ensure access to services, support family unity, and develop policies and strategies that provide opportunities for immigrants to fully participate in civic life. The Alliance works toward policies that support the dignity and human and civil rights of immigrants.

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