New Jersey lawmakers advanced three bills to limit state and local cooperation with federal immigration authorities after a Minneapolis encounter with ICE left a 37‑year‑old woman dead. Sponsors seek to codify the Immigrant Trust Directive into law, set model policies for hospitals and schools, and bar most collection of immigration‑status data. Supporters say the measures protect public safety and encourage immigrant cooperation with police; the White House has criticized the effort.
After Fatal Minneapolis ICE Shooting, New Jersey Lawmakers Move To Codify Anti‑ICE Measures
Trenton, New Jersey — New Jersey legislators advanced a three‑bill package Thursday designed to limit how state and local resources can assist federal immigration authorities, a push intensified by a fatal Minneapolis encounter involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
What Happened
Lawmakers moved on the measures a day after a 37‑year‑old Minneapolis woman, identified as Renee Good, was fatally shot during an encounter with an ICE officer. The shooting has renewed national debate over federal immigration enforcement policies and heightened tensions between state officials and the federal government.
The Proposed Legislation
The package includes three companion bills that would:
- Codify the Murphy administration’s Immigrant Trust Directive into state law, sharply restricting when state and local law enforcement can cooperate with federal immigration authorities;
- Create model policies for how institutions such as hospitals and schools should respond to immigration enforcement actions;
- Prohibit most state, local governments and hospitals from requesting or collecting immigration‑status information, with narrowly defined exceptions.
Under the proposed statute, officers could hold someone for transfer to federal immigration authorities only if the individual has been charged with or convicted of a violent or serious offense, or is subject to a final order of removal.
Debate And Reactions
Supporters — largely Democratic lawmakers — argue the measures improve public safety by ensuring immigrants feel safe reporting crimes and cooperating with police when immigration consequences are unlikely. "When people go underground, it gets more dangerous for all of us, including our heroes in local and state law enforcement," state Sen. Raj Mukherji, a sponsor of the bills, said during the committee hearing.
"Now they're killing Americans on the street," Mukherji said, warning that local involvement in federal immigration actions could lead to incidents similar to the Minneapolis shooting.
State Sen. Britnee Timberlake, the bill's lead sponsor in the Senate, invoked sharply critical language about federal enforcement practices and drew parallels to historical atrocities in urging lawmakers to act.
White House officials and administration spokespeople criticized the New Jersey effort, arguing that restricting cooperation with ICE undermines law enforcement and could embolden criminal activity by undocumented immigrants. The push has thus become another flashpoint in the broader national debate over immigration policy.
What’s Next
Both chambers advanced the bills largely along party lines, sending them toward a full vote in the Legislature. If passed, the measures would go to Gov. Phil Murphy for signature. Supporters say codifying the directive would provide stronger legal protections than the existing administrative policy; opponents say it could limit law enforcement tools and public safety partners.
The bills would take effect as state law if signed. Lawmakers and advocates on both sides say legal challenges and political changes could affect how any new statute is implemented or enforced in the future.
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