The Trump administration signed two new executive orders on April 28 that would target sanctuary cities and direct law enforcement to pursue legal action against state or local officials accused of “obstructing criminal or immigration law enforcement.”
The executive order targeting sanctuary cities directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security to prosecute state or local officials who refuse to assist with the Trump administration’s plan to deport immigrants who contribute to the economy and communities nationwide. It also penalizes states that provide in-state tuition to noncitizens. The order echoes previous guidance issued by the DOJ that suggested state and local officials would face federal prosecution for limiting the amount of assistance they provide to federal agencies carrying out immigration enforcement.
The second executive order directs law enforcement to pursue legal action against state officials, seeks to prevent accountability for law enforcement misconduct, and encourages police brutality.
The following statement can be attributed to ACLU-NJ Executive Director Amol Sinha:
“President Trump’s latest executive orders are baseless attempts to intimidate states and cities into compliance with the administration’s mass deportation agenda. Our state has enacted comprehensive policies to protect all New Jerseyans from dangerous and overbroad executive action that might deny people facing immigration detention the fundamental right to due process. As one of the most diverse states in the nation, New Jersey has an especially important obligation to ensure that local resources prioritize the people who call our state home. It is well within our state’s purview, under the bounds of the law, to decide how local resources are spent – the Trump administration cannot commandeer state resources for federal immigration enforcement purposes.
“The policies that protect our residents, including the Attorney General’s Immigrant Trust Directive, are legally sound and have been upheld by multiple courts. Now is the time for state lawmakers to stand up for our communities, strengthen protections, and pass the Immigrant Trust Act so that New Jersey is the firewall for freedom that it needs to be.”
