Overview
- Lawmakers approved a three-bill package largely along party lines this week, and Gov. Phil Murphy's office has not said whether he will sign it before leaving office on Jan. 20.
- The legislation would prohibit police from asking about immigration status unless directly relevant, bar compliance with ICE detainers without a judicial warrant, and restrict civil immigration enforcement in designated safe zones such as hospitals, schools, shelters, places of worship, and courthouses.
- The Department of Justice denounced the New Jersey bills and said it will continue pursuing litigation against jurisdictions that impede federal immigration enforcement.
- The Trump administration argues noncooperation forces ICE to make more arrests in the community rather than at jails, increasing risks to officers and the public.
- Similar efforts are underway in New York, Oregon, and California, including proposals to allow lawsuits against federal officers and to require warrants for enforcement in sensitive locations, with Democrats in some red states introducing bills unlikely to advance.