NEWARK, N.J. — The battle is joined, Save Jerseyans.
In the week after Governor Phil Murphy’s attorney general declared a sanctuary state? U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rounded up 105 individuals in the Garden State.
ICE reports 80% of those arrested “had prior criminal convictions and/or pending criminal charges.”
“These outstanding results, which were made possible by our officers and law enforcement partners, highlight the tremendous commitment that ICE ERO has to public safety throughout the state,” said John Tsoukaris, Field Office Director of ERO Newark, in a December 7th press release. “Our focus has been and will continue to be on arrests of illegal aliens who have been convicted of serious crimes or those who pose a threat to public safety.”
ICE pledged to continue or even ramp up its operations in New Jersey following Governor Murphy’s sanctuary statehood directive which bars local police and corrections officials from cooperating with ICE.
The stakes are higher than ever for public safety.
The New Jersey State Commission of Investigation (SCI), and independent criminal justice watchdog group, unveiled a report last week which concluded that cooperation between N.J. law enforcement and ICE had been successful at combating the activities of the violent Central American gang MS-13 which operates in New Jersey.
