(The Center Square) – New Jersey’s latest resistance bid against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement crossed first-term Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s desk on Wednesday.
One of three bills tailored against ICE raids would ban agents from wearing masks and require them to show identification before detaining a person. The other two new regulations limit the collection and sharing of personal information and establish the state’s efforts to strengthen law enforcement relationships with immigrants.
The ban applies to federal, state and local law enforcement, unless those agents are working undercover or wearing a mask to protect for health reasons.
“These bills underscore that here in New Jersey, we still follow the Constitution and uphold the rule of law,” Sherrill said Wednesday in a statement. “My focus as governor remains on keeping the public safe.”
It’s the latest in a string of missives from Sherrill’s administration. On Monday, the state sued the Trump administration to block plans for an ICE facility in a Morris County warehouse. And in February, Sherrill signed an executive order banning the agency from using state-owned property as a staging area for immigration raids and created a website for residents to submit their interactions with ICE.
“As we’ve seen across the country, Donald Trump’s untrained, unaccountable, masked ICE agents are putting people in danger,” she said Wednesday. “That’s why in New Jersey, we are protecting our communities – strengthening our protections, banning ICE agents from wearing masks, and protecting residents’ privacy from federal overreach.”
Washington passed a similar ban earlier this month, while at least five others – Oregon, Virginia, Maryland, Vermont and Hawaii – are reportedly considering it.
In February, a federal judge blocked California’s plan to ban law enforcement from wearing masks because it preempted federal law. A rule to require wear identification and badge numbers was upheld, however.
