Here's how North Jersey towns are saying no to ICE
By: Ricardo Kaulessar
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... Newark has done it. So have Teaneck and Bloomfield. What is it?
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They are some of the North Jersey towns that have passed resolutions or signed executive orders to fight back against Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions.
..... ICE agents have had a greater presence in numerous cities and towns across the United States since Donald Trump
returned to the White House in January 2025, as part of his mission to deport over 11 million undocumented immigrants.
..... There have been various incidents across North Jersey in which ICE agents have carried out raids, leading to the arrest of 11 immigrants, such as in Morristown in January, [2026] and elected officials in these municipalities are concerned.
..... Jersey City Mayor James Solomon spoke during a protest on May Day about the state's second-larges city protecting immigrants by signing an executive order in January [2026] banning ICE from using city-owned property for processing detainees. ICE agents have carried out several arrest in the city, including one of a student in April. [2026]
..... In New Jersey, there have been 2,636 arrest by ICE officers in the first three months of 2026, according to the Deportation Data Project.
..... "Not a single cent of Jersey city;s resources, not a single employee, will be used to aid ICE to terrorize the people of this city, of this state, and of this country,' Solomon said.
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Then there's the federal government's pursuit of opening immigration detention centers in New Jersey to meet Trump's mass deportation demand. Last year, [2025] Delaney Hall, on the outskirts of Newark, reopened for business after nearly a decade of not being used as an immigrant detention facility. this year, [2026] the Trump administration is looking at converting a warehouse in Roxbury Township into an immigrant detention center that would house an estimated 1,500 detainees, an effort local and state officials are fighting in court.
..... Roxbury passed a resolution in January [2026] opposing the conversion of any faculty within the township's limits into an ICE faculty that would disregard the town's land-use laws and impose "burdens upon the township's infrastructure, resources and services.
..... ICE and the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to an email for comment about the resolution.
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Some of the following North Jersey municipalities have been passing resolutions and executive orders to keep ICE off public property or deal with its actions against citizens:
* Jersey City: Solomon signed an executive order on January 23/ [2026] It calls for citywide training and protocols for encounters with federal agents, prohibits the use of city property for ICE enforcement, and establishes partnerships with nonprofit that provide services and legal support to immigrants.
* Teaneck: The Township council passed a 10-point resolution on February 10. [2026] It offers guidelines for dealing with ICE rather than an outright ban, scudding local police enforcing state and local criminal laws instead of "federal civil immigration laws," and township officials monitoring where the federal government withholds funds due to local policy.
* Newark: Mayor Ras Baraka signed an executive order on February 26. [2026] It requires , among other things, that city employees report to their department director "any observed unconstitutional wrongdoing by ICE agents" in town.
* Bloomfield: The township council passed a resolution on March 10. [2026] It lays out that "township personnel, equipment, databases, or other municipal resources may not be sued to voluntarily assist with civil immigration enforcement activities unless required by federal or state law."
* Montclair: The Township council passed an ordinance on April 21 [2026] called the "Montclair Trust Act," which wold prohibit federal mitigation offices from using township property or accessing municipal databases without a warrant.
* New Milford: The mayor and council on April 6 [2026] did something a little different from other North Jersey municipalities. They adopted a resolution supporting the "ICE Standard Act" bill introduced in Congress on March 9 [2026] by Democratic Representative Josh Gotheimer, whose distinct span's parts of Bergen, Passaic and Sussex counties, that prohibits, with some exceptions, ICE enforcement at places like schools and hospitals, and mandate body cameras and deescalation training.
..... New Milford council President Matthew Seymour said in a statement to NorthJersey.com : "Our resolution sends a clear message to the residents of New Milford. We support common-sense measure that create appropriate guardrails for ICE activity, protect civil rights, uphold the rule of law, and ensure the safety of our resident and local law enforcement officers."