The Immigrant Trust Act will allow New Jerseyans to seek protection and support from state and local agencies without fear of deportation. Increasing trust in public agencies allows all people, regardless of immigration status, to seek public services that are essential to the health, education, and well-being of their families and the broader community. This builds a stronger, fairer, more welcoming New Jersey for everyone.
S3672/A4987 will limit New Jersey’s involvement in the federal detention and deportation system by creating new data privacy protections for people who interact with state and local agencies, and by strengthening and codifying the separation between local law enforcement and federal immigration enforcement.
What the Immigrant Trust Act Does
- Ensures that local resources are used to support local priorities rather than fund federal immigration enforcement
- Protects personal information by limiting the circumstances under which public agencies can collect information related to immigration status
- Requires public schools, health care facilities, libraries, and shelters to adopt model policies to help people feel safer seeking the public services to which they are eligible
- Prohibits state and local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities when doing so is voluntary under federal law
- Eliminates carve-outs in the New Jersey Attorney General’s Immigrant Trust Directive that deny the same protections to immigrants entangled in the criminal legal system and that disproportionately harm Black and brown New Jerseyans due to racial disparities in policing and prosecution
- Creates reporting requirements to track compliance with the Act
Why The Immigrant Trust Act Is Important
The comprehensive protections afforded by S3672/A4987 are critical for empowering New Jerseyans to live their lives without fear that routine interactions with state and local government – be it registering for healthcare, reporting wage theft, or contacting law enforcement – could lead to permanent separation from their loved ones through immigration detention and deportation. As the federal government continues to expand immigration detention and new threats loom over immigrant communities, passing S3672/A4987 is more urgent than ever.
To be a fair and welcoming state, all New Jerseyans must be able to support their families and fully participate in their communities without fear. Passing the Immigrant Trust Act is an important step in making that a reality.
