Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Immigration Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge Highland Park council to endorse Immigrant Trust Act; council to review
Summary
Dozens of residents and local organizations urged the Highland Park Borough Council to pass a resolution supporting the New Jersey Immigrant Trust Act, citing recent ICE arrests in the region and requesting the borough reaffirm its 2017 safe-community stance; the council said it would review documents and discuss the matter at a future work session rather than vote tonight.
Dozens of residents urged the Highland Park Borough Council on Sept. 16 to adopt a resolution backing the New Jersey Immigrant Trust Act, saying recent immigration enforcement actions in nearby towns make local protections urgent.
“By passing this resolution, you’re not taking a new step, but you’re reinforcing a promise you made in 2017,” said Mickey Deer, one speaker who identified several community groups and urged immediate action. Ellen B., a local volunteer with deportation-response work, said, “ICE abductions are not just something that happens someplace else. They are here, too,” and asked the council to put the borough on record in favor of the ITA.
Speakers cited specific incidents in neighboring Edison and reported several Highland Park residents who were recently taken by federal immigration agents. They asked the council to direct the borough’s police, schools and hospitals to limit data-sharing and to decline assistance to immigration enforcement absent a judicial warrant.
Mayor Foster acknowledged the public’s concerns and reminded the audience that Highland Park adopted a statement in 2017 that its officers would not act as ICE agents. The mayor said the borough’s police department follows the attorney general’s guidance and that the council would collect the submitted resolution drafts and consider the matter at an upcoming work session; the council did not vote on a resolution at the meeting.
Organizers offered to leave copies of a proposed resolution and urged the council to use its state and legislative contacts to press for the bill’s passage in Trenton. Several speakers emphasized humanitarian and public-safety rationales, saying that community trust and willingness to report crimes depend on clear local policies protecting immigrants.
Council members said they heard the comments and would distribute the materials to the mayor and council for follow-up. The council did not set a vote date and said it would return with recommendations after internal discussion.
