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Residents urge Hunterdon County to reaffirm oath, oppose targeting immigrants during public comment
Summary
Several residents used the public-comment period to urge the commissioners to acknowledge fear among undocumented and legal immigrants, citing national enforcement actions and a local need for protective language.
During the Feb. 8 Hunterdon County meeting, residents told commissioners they were concerned about recent enforcement actions and asked the board to acknowledge the pain and fear such actions have caused in immigrant communities.
Judith Lockhart of Lambertville told the commissioners she was "very concerned" about undocumented people and said legal immigrants and refugees in the county also face fear. "These are your neighbors. They should not be treated or spoken of as synonymous with criminals or criminality," Lockhart said during public comment.
Lockhart said the fear extends to legal immigrants and refugees and recounted that an immigration checkpoint in Maine had alarmed acquaintances; she urged the commissioners to "reaffirm your oath." Other public speakers urged the board to "speak out firmly and solidly" against actions they described as targeting immigrant residents.
Comments came during the public-comment period; no formal motion or vote on a policy to protect immigrants was taken at the meeting. Commissioners did not record an immediate formal response to the request on the transcript provided.
