COUNTY — The Union County Board of County Commissioners joined dozens of other governing bodies from across the State last week in voicing its unanimous support for the Immigrant Trust Act, a pending piece of legislation that seeks to provide additional protections and resources to the immigrant community, while limiting New Jersey’s involvement with the Federal detention and deportation process.
“The Immigrant Trust Act is about ensuring that every person, regardless of immigration status, can feel safe seeking help, reporting a crime, or accessing services without fear,” Commissioner Sergio Granados said, speaking during a regular meeting of the Commissioner Board on Thursday.
The Act (S3672/A4987), if approved, would further codify the State’s 2018 Immigrant Trust Directive, a policy that limits the extent to which State and Local law enforcement groups can legally cooperate with Federal authorities like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to ensure that local resources are being used to support local priorities. The new legislation would also enact more stringent data protections by prohibiting government agencies and hospitals from asking about someone’s immigration status outside of certain situations related to health benefits.
“Data from across the country reveals that when State, County, and Municipal agencies assist Federal immigration authorities to carry out federal law enforcement, immigrant communities and their loved ones are deterred and discouraged from assisting or seeking assistance from public agencies, including health and public safety services,” the bill, cosponsored in the Senate by Joseph Cryan (D-20), reads, “Individuals should not be deterred from seeking services to which they are eligible merely because of their immigration status or the status of their loved ones.”
The Commissioners memorialized their support for the Immigrant Trust Act via Resolution after hearing from numerous State and Local immigration rights advocacy groups like Make The Road New Jersey and Wind of the Spirit.
“I know what immigrants really are, they’re members of my family,” said Adam McGovern, a representative of Wind of the Spirit, “They’re the people…who show me what it means to be an American.”
