While the State Legislature convenes for Murphy’s final budget address, ICE officers encroach on the capital city’s community, urging further action from Governor Murphy to deeply invest in immigrant services and to pass critical privacy protections.

TRENTON, NJ [02.25.25] - New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice calls on Governor Murphy and the State Legislature to demonstrate leadership in the face of the federal mass deportation agenda by investing in immigrant legal services and passing privacy protections for immigrant New Jerseyans. This morning, a sighting of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers was confirmed near the Food Bazaar in Trenton just hours before Governor Murphy will deliver his final budget address. The heightened ICE presence is not unprecedented in New Jersey’s capital either, as a November 2024 ACLU FOIA lawsuit revealed intentions to reopen the “Bo” Robinson Center as an immigration detention facility. In the days before Governor Murphy’s address, the US Senate has advanced a major budget resolution that allocates $350 billion for immigration enforcement. This amounts to nearly six times the size of the latest annual budget for ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). 

In response, advocates are calling on Governor Murphy and the legislature to invest in programs and pass legislation that blunt the effect of the federal mass detention and deportation agenda within the state, including:

• Investing $19.2 million in the Detention and Deportation Defense Initiative, a legal services program that originally received a proposed cut in last year’s address but was restored to full amount in final negotiations
• Passing the Immigrant Trust Act S3672/A4987 to establish crucial privacy protections that prevent information sharing and collaboration with federal immigration, unless required by law
• Fast Tracking Implementation and Providing Additional Resources for New Jersey’s Language Access Law, which should have gone into effect on January 12th, 2025, and now leaves many New Jerseyans without access to vital programs and services
• Supporting the Unaccompanied Minors Legal Services Program, a legal services program that underwent a 20% cut last year, despite increasing numbers of unaccompanied youth
• Reinvesting in the Cover All Kids program so state-levied Medicaid dollars are not diverted away from the undocumented children covered in this program due to the expected federal Medicaid cuts.

In his State of the State address last month, Governor Murphy proudly proclaimed, 

“I will never back down from defending our New Jersey values — if and when they are tested. In New Jersey, our values are who we are. So, if you respect us — we will respect you in kind. And we will always work together in good faith. But if you try to attack our people or our values, without cause, make no mistake: we will fight back even harder.”

Today’s confirmed ICE presence at a local grocery store in Trenton is a clear attack on New Jersey communities and values, and follows sightings in major cities across New Jersey over the last week. New Jersey is home to 2.25 million immigrants. One in three New Jersey households speak a language other than English at home. The state is one of only a few nationally that fall entirely within the “100-mile border zone,” an area of reasonable distance from any external boundary of the United States which includes New Jersey’s shoreline and international airports. Within this zone, CBP is able to suspend certain fourth amendment rights, including boarding vehicles and vessels without a warrant. New Jersey is also likely to see a huge increase in ICE detention, as several private corporations eye expansion in cities like Elizabeth, Newark, and Trenton, and Fort Dix falls under consideration for use for federal immigration detention.

“Immigrant New Jerseyans pay over $3 billion in taxes annually with undocumented immigrants making up $1.3 billion in state and local taxes alone. We built this economy, we are owed our fair share of payback in State services and programs,” said Amy Torres, Executive Director with New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. “Without privacy protections, legal services, or the language access rights that allow people to defend themselves, New Jersey lawmakers are purposefully leaving us vulnerable to attacks from Washington.” 

Over the first month since President Trump took office, ICE sightings and reports of raids have skyrocketed. Reports over the past week have included major hubs for immigrant communities including Lakewood, Princeton, and Jersey City. New Jersey made national news last month when ICE officers forcefully entered and raided a large-scale employer in Newark’s Ironbound where they interrogated a veteran and a US citizen, among others. Despite these escalations and the Governor’s pledges in January, New Jersey has failed to implement its Language Access law, and the Immigrant Trust Act, a bill introduced in September 2024, has not yet received a committee hearing.

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New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice (NJAIJ) is the state’s largest immigration coalition. NJAIJ uses the power and strength of 60+ member organizations to fight for policies that empower and protect immigrants.