OPINION
Last week, our country bore witness to the depths of ICE’s cruelty. We saw a masked agent shoot into a vehicle that was driving away, murdering Renee Nicole Good — a mother and American citizen.
This week, here in New Jersey, a high school student in Morristown was doing his family’s laundry when he was taken by masked and armed agents. In the same ICE sweep, a Morristown father was snatched on his way to pick up food for himself and his 6 year old daughter Annabella. His daughter was found walking the streets by herself and crying looking for her father hours later. The following day, ICE agents pulled Warren residents from their cars.
New Jersey has to do more to protect our communities from a rogue immigration enforcement agency that violates people’s constitutional rights. And if we’re looking for a roadmap, we don’t have to look far.
During the first Trump administration, an immigrant rights movement blossomed in New Jersey, finding a strong partner in Governor Phil Murphy. We won 10 pro-immigrant laws in Murphy’s first four years, and we became a state where immigrants could move freely, go to college, get occupational licenses, and have access to a lawyer. Basically, anything a state could do to protect immigrants, we did it, and it made New Jersey a safe and welcoming place for all.
Now, the stakes are even higher, with an emboldened Trump administration and his paramilitary force that shows no regard for the law or basic human rights.
New Jersey is one of the most diverse states in the nation, and immigrants are an essential part of our social and economic fabric. Immigrants make up almost a third of the state’s workforce and bring in billions in tax revenue. More than four out of every ten children in the state have at least one immigrant parent. And as the murder of Renee Nicole Good showed us, immigrant or not, no one is safe when ICE comes into town.
At this moment, families all across New Jersey are feeling the pain of ICE’s attacks. Our state has the most ICE detention beds on the entire East coast, and the Department of Homeland Security is looking to expand into the military base in Fort Dix and a warehouse in Roxbury.
Over 6,000 New Jersey residents have been detained and separated from their families since Trump took office a year ago, held in filthy conditions with no access to adequate food, medical care, legal help, or hope. In 2025 alone, 32 people have died in ICE custody, including Jean Wilson Brutus, who died at Delaney Hall in Newark.
This violence, damage, and destruction will only get worse. The DHS budget will grow to $170 billion this year, which is bigger than most countries’ militaries. ICE is increasingly using AI and surveillance technology to track people through their phones and their license plates. ICE is going door-to-door in neighborhoods, pushing their way into private homes and committing blatant civil rights violations. They are arresting US citizens and immigrants alike without warrants.
ICE cannot be trusted on our streets or in our communities, and New Jersey has to step up.
In his final days as governor, Governor Murphy has the opportunity to do just that. There is a package of immigrant protection bills on the governor’s desk that would keep our communities safe and cement his legacy as a champion for fairness and opportunity for all.
The Safe Communities Act (A6308/S5036) provides guidance to sensitive locations like schools, hospitals, and libraries — creating state level model policies to protect safe access to essential services for all New Jerseyans.
The Privacy Protection Act (A6309/S5037) limits when government agencies can collect immigration status information, and restricts the Motor Vehicle Commission from sharing data with ICE — protecting the privacy of millions of New Jerseyans from federal overreach.
Finally, A6310/S5038, which limits local law enforcement from aiding and abetting ICE’s abuses, would codify and strengthen the protections Governor Murphy himself oversaw seven years ago.
As he did during the first Trump administration, Governor Murphy must once again meet the moment and sign these bills into law. Given the escalating violence at the hands of ICE — and the threats yet to come — there is no other choice.
Amber Reed is the Co-Executive Director of AAPI New Jersey. Nedia Morsy is the Director of Make the Road New Jersey. Zellie Imani is the Executive Director of BLM Paterson.
