A new directive from the New Jersey attorney general is calling for all police departments across the state to report illegal immigrants charged with serious crimes to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Attorney General Anne Milgram?s directive comes weeks after the execution-style slayings of three college students in Newark. One of the principal suspects, who is in the country illegally, had prior arrests for aggravated assault and child rape. Despite those arrests, he was out on bail at the time of the murders.

?Had this directive been in place after the first arrest for the bar fight, ICE would have been notified,? Milgram said.

While the enforcement of immigration laws would remain the responsibility of federal officials, Milgram?s directive requires police to notify ICE if there is reason to believe a suspect arrested for an indictable crime or drunk driving offense is an undocumented immigrant.

U.S. Attorney Chris Christie says officers are not to question crime victims or witnesses about their immigration status.

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