New Jersey Immigrant Trust Directive
Issued: November 2018 (revised 2019)
Issued by: Attorney General Gurbir Grewal
Status: Active Directive
Why This Directive Protects Immigrant Communities
- Landmark statewide policy: First comprehensive directive governing all 36,000 New Jersey law enforcement officers' interactions with federal immigration authorities
- Prohibits immigration raid participation: New Jersey police cannot participate in federal immigration raids
- Prevents status-based stops: Officers cannot stop, question, arrest, search, or detain anyone based solely on actual or suspected immigration status
- Limits immigration inquiries: Officers cannot ask about immigration status except when relevant to a specific criminal investigation
- Restricts resource sharing: Cannot provide ICE with access to law enforcement resources, including equipment, office space, databases, or property unless publicly available
- Protects interview rights: Cannot allow ICE interviews without advisement of the right to a lawyer
- Ends indefinite detention: Jails cannot hold inmates indefinitely on behalf of ICE
- Prohibits 287(g) agreements: Supplemental order bans agreements that deputize local law enforcement for immigration duties
- Builds community trust: Ensures victims and witnesses feel safe reporting crimes without fear of deportation
- Upheld against federal challenge: Defended successfully against Trump administration and county lawsuits
Key Quote
"The Directive sends a clear message to Washington: we will not allow you to drive a wedge between New Jersey's law enforcement officers and our immigrant communities." — Attorney General Gurbir Grewal
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