Democrats in the New Jersey General Assembly have introduced legislation have introduced a bill named after a profanity against ICE agents. The bill, called the “Fight Unlawful Conduct and Keep Individuals and Communities Empowered Act,” is also known as the “F-ICE Act.” It specifically “permits civil action for violations of [the] US Constitution related to immigration enforcement.”
Democratic Assemblyman Ravi Bhalla, one of the lawmakers behind the bill, said in a statement that “ICE has no place in our communities. When I was elected Mayor of Hoboken, one of my first acts was passing a strong sanctuary city ordinance.”
“Now, the stakes are even higher, and it is incumbent on all of us to use the power we have to keep our residents safe,” he said, as per Newsweek. “These bills help our local law enforcement do their jobs properly while giving the state more tools to stop these raids from happening in the first place.”
New Jersey is also looking to roll out a tip line for residents to report ICE encounters. During an appearance on Comedy Central, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill (D) said, “We are also going to be standing up a portal so people can upload all their cellphone videos and alert people. If you see an ICE agent in the street, get your phone out, we want to know.”
“They have not been forthcoming. They will pick people up, they will not tell us who they are, they will not tell us if they’re here legally, they won’t check. They’ll pick up American citizens,” she claimed. “They picked up a 5-year-old child. We want documentation, and we are going to make sure we get there.”
