JACKSON TWP., N.J. — Jackson Township Mayor Jennifer Kuhn is calling on the Township Council to formally condemn New Jersey’s expanded sanctuary policies following a fatal crash that claimed the life of a young boy last week.
In a September 1st letter to residents, Kuhn connected the tragedy to the broader debate over immigration enforcement and communication between local and federal authorities.
“This week, our Jackson community was rocked by the tragic killing of a young boy by an unlicensed driver,” Kuhn wrote.
The mayor noted that Jackson’s governing body previously adopted a resolution condemning then-Governor Phil Murphy’s sanctuary-state policies, a measure Kuhn said she supported while serving on the council.
Since then, Kuhn argued, Trenton has moved further in the opposite direction by adopting additional restrictions on coordination between local and state law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.
“Last week, our community experienced the heartbreaking consequences of those policies,” the mayor asserted.
Kuhn is now asking the council to pass another resolution condemning what she described as New Jersey’s “expanded sanctuary policies.”
“No community is safer when law-enforcement agencies are prevented from communicating and coordinating with one another,” she added.
The statement comes days after Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced charges stemming from the August 28th crash near the Jackson NPGS grocery store on West County Line Road.
According to prosecutors, 20-year-old Trenton resident Maria Cobon-Guzman was charged with manslaughter, assault by auto and operating a motor vehicle without ever having possessed or been issued a valid driver’s license while involved in a fatal crash. A second woman, 22-year-old Ariadna Lazaro-Flores of Toms River, was also charged in connection with the incident. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) subsequently confirmed ICE detainers for both women.
Kuhn’s demand also arrives amid a growing local backlash against New Jersey’s sanctuary-state posture. Counties and municipalities across the state have adopted resolutions this summer opposing sanctuary policies or calling for their repeal.
“As our community continues to mourn, we also have a responsibility to examine whether our laws and policies are doing everything possible to keep our residents safe,” Kuhn wrote.
The mayor urged the council to take up the issue “swiftly and thoughtfully” in light of the tragedy.
Multiple New Jersey jurisdictions have adopted resolutions condemning sanctuary statehood in recent weeks, including Stafford Township, Barnegat, Toms River, Middletown, Lavallette, Warren County, Sussex County, and Cape May County.
