Hudson County creates immigration community safety committee after sustained public pressure; advocates demand funding and enforcement
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Summary
After extended public comment about recent ICE activity, the Hudson County Board approved an amended resolution to form an immigration community safety committee. Advocates said the resolution lacks funding and enforcement and asked for an emergency family fund, a county-paid resource navigator, enforceable deadlines and a public rollout; county officials said an investigation into a recent courthouse incident is ongoing and a sheriff's policy will be posted.
The Hudson County Board of Commissioners voted to move forward with an amended resolution establishing a county immigration community safety committee after more than an hour of public comment urging concrete support for immigrants affected by recent ICE activity.
Advocates at the meeting said the resolution, as drafted, offered little beyond symbolic language. "As written, this resolution has no teeth," said Courtney Walker, a Jersey City resident, who also criticized last-minute changes that leave advocates without time to review documents. Walker and other speakers recounted recent county incidents involving federal immigration agents and said residents are living in fear.
Jessica Gonzales, a Jersey City attorney, urged the board to go beyond words: "Policy language is not protection," she said, and asked the county to add hard implementation deadlines, a dedicated appropriation for county-funded legal representation for detained families, emergency family stabilization support, and printed and multilingual know‑your‑rights materials. Multiple speakers asked the board to include a funded "resource navigator" position to connect impacted families with services.
County officials acknowledged the gaps raised by residents and said the task force is intended as a starting point. A commissioner said the first meeting will be held next Tuesday at 5 p.m. via Zoom and invited community organizations to participate. County staff said they will assess whether existing county programs can be retooled to fill immediate needs and, if necessary, sponsor future resolutions to allocate dedicated funding.
Several speakers pressed the board about a reported ICE presence at the county courthouse last Friday. Residents and rapid-response volunteers described federal agents in courthouse hallways and asked whether sheriff's officers engaged the agents or allowed them to carry restraints or weapons into secure areas. County executive staff said the incident is under investigation and that a sheriff's‑office policy clarifying how deputies should handle encounters with federal immigration agents will be posted on the sheriff's website; they said, in public remarks, that there was no enforcement action on county property pending the investigation.
The meeting also included an allegation about a county deputy sheriff reported during public comment. A speaker who identified himself as "Mister Truth" said outside and internal investigations had found misconduct by a named lieutenant; county counsel responded that the matter currently involves litigation and disciplinary proceedings and could not be discussed in open session. The speaker sought a public investigation; county counsel said the situation is the subject of active litigation and the county cannot comment further.
What happens next: the board set the task force meeting date, invited community participants and asked staff to review existing programs and report back. Advocates said they will return to the board if the county does not include concrete funding and timelines in the task‑force charge.