Rally at NJ State House fails to block passage of anti-ICE legislation
About 100 people stopped by the nearly two-hour-long rally held just before the vote inside Assembly chambers. It was led by Assemblyman Paul Kanitra from the 10th district in Ocean County.
The New Jersey state Assembly on Monday passed three bills that directly involve the way Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents can interact with the public, law enforcement and in medical settings.
Before that vote was heard, a rally against these bills was held outside.
About 100 people stopped by the nearly two-hour-long rally held just before the vote inside Assembly chambers. It was led by Assemblyman Paul Kanitra from the 10th district in Ocean County.
“It prevents law enforcement at the local, the county, and the state level from working with ICE at all and makes our communities less safe as a result,” said Kanitra. “We stand for legal immigration. We stand for doing things the right way and we don’t want a human cost or a financial cost.”
The three pieces of legislation are commonly referred to as anti-ICE laws. One requires ICE agents to reveal their faces when conducting operations. The second bans ICE from collecting personal data and citizenship records from medical data. The third prevents local, county, and state law enforcement from assisting federal agents in civil immigration enforcement.
In January, then-Gov. Phil Murphy vetoed the second and third bills because he felt they would open New Jersey up to federal lawsuits from the Trump Administration, putting the immigrant community at further risk.
As anti-ICE protests continue around the state, bill sponsors say they are there to benefit the entire population of New Jersey.
“What is happening is an enormous amount of people are being detained, arrested, that happen to be U.S. citizens that have little to no criminal record,” said Assemblyman Gabriel Rodriguez, representing the 33rd district.
“People are being surrounded by mostly men with masks on unmarked vehicles and they’re afraid for their life,” said Assemblywoman Annette Quijano from the 20th district.
Kanitra says his fight is far from over. He’s encouraging his supporters to call and write to Gov. Mikie Sherill, hoping for a veto.
A spokesperson for Sherrill wrote in a statement, "Gov. Sherrill is committed to protecting Constitutional rights and public safety in New Jersey, and intends to sign this legislation in the near future."
