End Hudson County agreement with immigration enforcement agency | Letter

We, the undersigned civil rights, labor rights, faith-based, immigrant rights and legal service organizations are writing this open letter to express our concern and dismay that the troubling 287(g) agreement between the

Hudson County Dept. of Corrections and the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement may be renewed.


This agreement is well known for its hurtful impact on immigrant communities. It denies immigrants due process rights, funnels them into detention and deportation and tears apart vulnerable families.


Numerous reports and studies have shown the negative human and legal impacts of implementing 287(g). Investigation has revealed that the 287(g) program has led to widespread racial profiling as police officers target immigrants and people of color for stops, searches, and interrogations. The program has also led to distrust between immigrant communities and law enforcement, making it harder for local police to do their jobs.


The 287(g) program is not mandatory: only 32 law enforcement agencies in the entire country have 287(g) agreements deputizing their officers to act as immigration agents. The Maricopa County, AZ program, run by the controversial Sheriff Joseph Arpaio, was the largest 287(g) jurisdiction, until it was terminated following a federal investigation into racial profiling and discrimination.


The New Jersey Attorney General's Directive No-2007-3 requires that any exercise of federal immigration enforcement authority be consistent with and support the state law enforcement mission. Section 287(g) goes beyond that authority. Furthermore the directive affirms "the principal mission of law enforcement officers in this State is to enforce the criminal laws and to protect the communities that they serve. It is not to enforce federal immigration laws. Effective policing requires the cooperation of, and a positive relationship with, all members of the community."

Hudson County is home to many immigrants and 287(g) undermines the trust between immigrant community members and law enforcement officials. We respectfully request you to discontinue the agreement with ICE.

If you need additional information or have questions related to this request, please contact Chia-Chia Wang, American Friends Service Committee Immigrant Rights Program, at ccwang@afsc.org.


32BJ SEIU; American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey;
American Friends Service Committee; Immigrant Rights Program; Bronx Defenders; Brooklyn Defender Services; Casa Esperanza; Centro Comunitario CEUS; Community of Friends in Action, Inc.; Faith in New Jersey; Filipino Immigrants and Workers Organizing Project; First Friends of New Jersey and New York; Grupo Cajola; Haiti Solidarity network of Northeastern; Immigration Equality; Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund; Latino Action Network; Lutheran Episcopal Advocacy Ministry NJ; Make the Road New Jersey; Monmouth Center for World Religions and Ethical Thought; Nassau Presbyterian Church, Princeton; New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice; New Jersey Clergy Coalition for Justice; New Jersey Communities United; New Jersey Forum for Human Rights; New Jersey Policy Perspective; New Jersey Working Families; NJ/PA Region and Gamma Eta Chapter of La Unidad Latina; NYU Law School Immigrant Rights Clinic; Unitarian Universalist Legislative Ministry; Wind of the Spirit Immigrant Resources Center; Rev. Elizabeth B. Congdon, First Baptist Church of Trenton (Pastor, retired).

End Hudson County agreement with immigration enforcement agency ...