The Princeton Town Council will vote Monday on a resolution in support of the passage of statewide sanctuary policy, weeks after 15 people were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Princeton.
The resolution has been placed on the agenda following weeks of advocacy from various local and statewide groups, who spoke at a July 28 council meeting in favor of the Immigrant Trust Act, a bill in New Jersey’s state assembly.
The Immigrant Trust Act, if passed at the state level, would prohibit state and local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. It would also bar officials from inquiring about a person’s citizenship, immigration status, place of birth, or Social Security eligibility.
The current draft of the town council’s resolution notes that the bill would codify and expand the protections of the Immigrant Trust Directive, a set of state-issued guidelines for law enforcement. The resolution says that the directive already has “enabled our immigrant communities of diverse status to live without fear of interactions with law enforcement, to come forth if they are the victim of a crime, and not be subject to separation from their families.”
The resolution calls upon New Jersey state lawmakers to pass the bill. If passed Monday, Princeton would join several communities across New Jersey that have already adopted a resolution supporting the Immigrant Trust Act, including Trenton, Paterson, Flemington, Madison, Morristown, Plainfield, Atlantic City, and Bloomfield.
The town was rocked in late July by two raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that detained 16 people, including a van of day laborers heading to do landscaping work. It was one of the first reported immigration enforcement actions in Princeton since the beginning of the Trump administration.
The town’s draft resolution, however, differs from a version proposed by members of Resistencia en Acción NJ, a local immigrant advocacy group, around the previous town council meeting on July 28 — a meeting where public comment was sharply critical of the town’s response.
Mayor Mark Freda opened time for public comment with a statement acknowledging that the council knew many members of the public were present to discuss the major ICE operation and the resources Princeton offers to support immigrant communities.
Still, many members of the Princeton community expressed frustration during the discussion period at what they felt to be a lack of effort by city officials to protect vulnerable members of their community. Council President Mia Sacks spoke following the first comment to tell the public that the council had been “working for months on drafts of the resolution.”
“We support the resolution and plan to deliver it to the legislature at the best time possible,” she added.
Many members of the immigration advocacy organizations present expressed feelings that the council was not doing enough, describing a resolution as “the bare minimum” to defend immigrant communities.
“Words and statements about intentions and empathy mean nothing unless you can follow through with action,” Resistencia member Karin Firoza said. “If we are not taking a stand as good, Princeton, liberal, well-educated people … what the hell are we doing?”
In an interview with the ‘Prince,’ Freda said that the council had received a draft resolution from Resistencia, but would look to make changes in its own version.
“[Resistencia] had given us a version of a resolution, but it had really strong, attacking wording against the Trump administration in there, and we didn't feel that was really helpful,” Freda said. “We’re scaling that kind of rhetoric back and focusing more on what needs to be done to actually help the immigrant community.”
The proposed draft of the resolution describes Princeton’s immigrant residents as “an integral part of our thriving local economy and our vibrant cultural scene” and acknowledges the town’s commitment to “build welcoming communities that value inclusiveness, unity, and diversity” as part of its participation in Welcoming America.
In an interview after the July 28 town council meeting, Resistencia executive director Ana Paola Pazmiño urged the council to take action.
“It would be counterproductive to remain silent. It would be counterproductive to ignore the fact that ICE now has a $45 billion dollar budget to provide these raids, and to bring out more of their [agents],” she told The Daily Princetonian. “That would make things a lot worse than actually having a simple resolution that says that it’s okay for the city of Princeton to be on the side of the community.”
The council will vote on its version of the resolution Monday.
Justus Wilhoit is a head Audience editor and senior News writer for the ‘Prince.’ He is from Kenosha, Wis. and typically covers Princeton’s eating clubs and co-ops, identity and student life, and the Trump administration.
Leela Hensler is a staff News writer and Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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