The ACLU-NJ responds below to the lawsuit filed Feb. 11 by Department of Justice challenging New Jersey's Immigrant Trust Directive. In December, the ACLU of New Jersey and 24 other organizations filed a friend-of-the-court brief in support of the directive in cases filed by Cape May and Ocean counties that challenge the directive. The Department of Justice filed a statement of interest in those cases in January.
The following statement can be attributed to ACLU-NJ Legal Director Jeanne LoCicero:
“This lawsuit is another attempt by the Trump administration to intimidate immigrants. The ACLU-NJ stands with the state of New Jersey to protect the Immigrant Trust Directive, a critical tool for public safety and civil rights.
“The Immigrant Trust Directive is an important way for law enforcement to build trust with New Jersey communities. Our state has an important responsibility to keep communities safe, and immigrants and their loved ones need to know that they will not be targeted for deportation just for reporting a crime or serving as a witness.
“The federal government cannot commandeer local law enforcement resources to fund its immigration enforcement efforts. The ACLU-NJ, and community partners across the state, will defend this important policy.”