Senator Christopher Connors, Assemblyman Brian Rumpf and Assemblywoman DiAnne Gove all voted against legislation (A-5207/S-3361) which would prohibit any state, county or local government entity from entering into a contract with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to hold persons found violating federal immigration laws.
The 9th District Delegation issued the following statement:
“Denying ICE a critical tool to detain illegal aliens at facilities in the state is yet another misguided and potentially dangerous effort by extremists in our state to undermine the rule of law for the sole purpose of establishing New Jersey as a sanctuary state.
“Illegal aliens detained at these facilities are prevented from fleeing or posing a risk to the community which is a concern for certain individuals.
“Clearly, the intent of this legislation sends the wrong message as New Jersey already has among the largest number of illegal aliens residing in its borders of any state.
“Not only does it embolden illegal aliens to continue using New Jersey as a safe haven but it is yet another graphic example of open contempt for law enforcement by deliberately impeding the efforts of a federal agency charged with enforcing national immigration laws.
“Enactment of yet more sanctuary state policies will only exacerbate existing hardships for legal citizens who will see their hard-earned taxpayer dollars siphoned off to pay for government entitlements that people in this country illegally should not be receiving in the first place.
“There is something very wrong when an illegal alien can brazenly violate immigration laws but a legal citizen can be fined or required to appear in court for a minor infraction.”
Having passed both Houses, A-5207/S-3361 has been sent to the Governor’s desk.
