‘ICE Out Of Essex County’ Legislation Gets A Green Light: Here’s What It Does

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The Essex County Board of Commissioners unanimously passed an “ICE Out of Essex County” resolution at their meeting this week.

The resolution – which got a green light on Wednesday – prohibits U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) from entering or operating on non-public areas of Essex County properties without a judicial warrant or judicial order.

The resolution also prohibits Essex County from assisting, facilitating or cooperating with federal, state or local government entities on civil immigration enforcement using county property or resources, unless pursuant to a judicial warrant or judicial order. This includes all county employees, contractors and agents of county departments, agencies, authorities, boards and commissions, as well as Essex County College.

The policy applies to all non-public areas in any building, structure, land, parking lot, garage, vehicle, park or other real or personal property owned, leased, operated, maintained or controlled by Essex County.

Read the full text of the resolution here, or view it below.

The resolution was introduced by Commissioner Brendan Gill and sponsored by acclamation.

“With the passage of this ‘ICE Out of Essex County’ resolution, we are making clear that the safety and protection of our residents remains a top priority of this board of commissioners,” Gill said.

“As the proud husband of a Colombian immigrant wife and father of two mixed-race children, this issue is deeply personal to me,” Gill said. “My family has seen firsthand the harm and social division caused by Donald Trump’s ICE directives, and I believe it is my responsibility as a public servant to protect your family just as I would my own.”

“At a time when fear and division are being fueled by reckless federal immigration policies, this legislation represents our commitment to standing up for our communities and defending the rule of law,” he added.

Essex County is home to a major federal immigration detention center, Delaney Hall in Newark, which was the first to open under President Donald Trump’s second term.

Trump has insisted that a nationwide crackdown is needed to push back against a “large-scale invasion” of illegal immigration. As part of his campaign platform in 2024, the president vowed to immediately launch a nationwide crackdown as soon as he was elected. His administration didn’t waste any time making its first moves. On his first day in office, the White House announced a sweeping wave of presidential actions and executive orders – including several involving immigration.

“Our southern border is overrun by cartels, criminal gangs, known terrorists, human traffickers, smugglers, unvetted military-age males from foreign adversaries, and illicit narcotics that harm Americans,” Trump declared.

Advocates and family members of ICE detainees have pushed back against the claim that most of the immigrants imprisoned at facilities like Delaney Hall are “criminals,” however.

In April, data research organization Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse reported that out of 60,311 people held in ICE detention across the nation, about 70.8 percent had no criminal conviction before being apprehended – and many of those who do were convicted only of minor offenses such as traffic violations.

• Related: Detainee Population Surges At ICE Prison In NJ After It Reopens Under Trump
• Related: 2 Prison Companies With NJ Ties May Score Big Profits From Deportations
• Related: ICE Office In Essex County Suburb Sparks Outcry From Activists

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