Residents urge Hudson County to pair ICE ban with urgent reporting, enforcement guidance and aid

Residents and advocacy groups who addressed the Hudson County Board on Tuesday welcomed the board's executive order and resolution limiting federal immigration enforcement on county property but said the measures are only a first step and called for urgent follow-through.

Courtney Walker, a Jersey City resident who said she has pressed county officials since July, criticized the lack of advance written notice for the executive order and asked for more transparency. "We haven't seen it in writing," Walker said, adding she had filed multiple OPRA requests and received limited documentation.

Speakers urged the board to require identification and prohibitions on masks for outside agents, to ban certain ICE tactics, and to create a system by which community observers can report sightings to a central county hotline that connects to the sheriff's office. "We need a communications structure," said Beverly Brown Ruge of New Jersey Citizen Action, urging urgency and the county's leadership in coordinating mutual aid.

County staff and the sheriff's office responded that moving forward the sheriff's office will codify a policy for documenting interactions with outside agencies. Jeremy, chief of internal affairs, said the office will "ensure that all of our officers comply with the attorney general's directive with the immigration trust act" and that interactions with outside agencies "will be documented in a report memorialized." Officials promised the policy would be made available and that the board and executive branch would coordinate a task force including grassroots organizations.

Advocates also asked for concrete supports such as emergency grocery assistance for families affected by detentions, legal aid and "know your rights" outreach. Commissioners said they would work with the executive branch to form a task force and requested that the sheriff deliver a written policy by the next caucus meeting so the board and public can review enforcement and reporting procedures.