By Payton Guion, Asbury Park Press
More than 2,000 miles from where President Donald Trump wants to build a border wall, Red Bank on Monday dives headlong into the national policy debate over illegal immigration.
The question for many residents, civic leaders and officials boils down to this: How far should the borough stick its neck out on behalf of the undocumented in its midst?
The Red Bank Human Relations Committee, which advises the borough council on diversity issues, meets to consider whether and how the borough should endeavor to protect those without legal status from deportation.
David Pascale, the committee chairman, says several options are on the table, including recommending borough council declare Red Bank a “sanctuary city” or a “welcoming city,” either label suggesting some measure of support for the undocumented.
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“At this juncture in Red Bank’s history, we might consider how creating a resolution could help all those impacted by it,” Pascale said.
“Many concerned residents have reached out to us in support of our more vulnerable populations and we have a commitment to listen and address these concerns.”
He adds: “I’d like to see us seek sanctuary status.”
But others, including the borough’s Democratic mayor, aren’t convinced.
“I respect the opinion that we ought to be protective of all people,” Mayor Pasquale Menna said.
“Local government is not competent to get involved in immigration. We have enough issues.” He indicated he likely would not support such a recommendation from the advisory panel.
(Feb 13, 2017 On ‘Ask The Governor’ on New Jersey 101.5, Gov. Chris Christie discusses sanctuary cities. Courtesy of New Jersey 101.5 and YouTube)
The policy discussion, while in the works for weeks, comes less than a week after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security released new guidance on immigration enforcement, including plans to ramp up enforcement in communities well beyond the U.S. border with Mexico.
More immigrants without legal status would be subject to expedited deportation. Border patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents would also cast a wider net.
The effort, dependent in part on more local law enforcement agencies signing on to enforce federal immigration law, also targets immigrants accused or convicted of minor crimes, where the previous administration prioritized those convicted of serious crimes.
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Additionally, the Trump administration said it plans to hire 10,000 new border patrol and enforcement agents — in addition to building a wall along the border.
The debate is a poignant one for Red Bank.
The borough — population, 12,238 — is about one-third Hispanic, according to the Census Bureau’s most recent numbers.
The west side of the borough’s downtown has a strong Hispanic presence, most visible along Shrewsbury Avenue, where Mexican restaurants and shops abound.
Department of Education data show that the borough schools are more than 50 percent Hispanic.
Johanna Calle, program director for the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, said her organization has seen an increase in New Jersey cities considering policies aimed at boosting immigrant communities.
Those include East Orange, Maplewood and Plainfield, plus Jersey City and Princeton.
Generally, such communities pledge not to cooperate with federal enforcement agents, absent a court order, or even to inquire about a person’s legal status.
But she notes that there is no textbook definition for sanctuary jurisdictions. She urged towns like Red Bank to be clear on what actions they take mean for immigrants.
Indeed, nothing bars federal officials from performing their duties anywhere in the country, no matter what label a jurisdiction adopts for itself.
“It has to be clear that federal agents won’t be prevented from coming in,” Calle said. “Sanctuary is a misleading name.”
New York and Jersey City recently renewed their commitment to help shield the undocumented population. Other cities, including Princeton, describe themselves as “welcoming cities” rather than sanctuary cities.
(NJ Officials React to Trump’s Immigration Executive Order. Courtesy of NJTV News and YouTube)
Princeton’s Mayor Liz Lempert has said in the past that the city wants to open its doors to immigrants, but will follow all laws.
The Trump administration has sought to make communities pay a price for not cooperating. Last month, Trump signed an executive order cutting grant funding to “sanctuary jurisdictions” across the nation.
It defined such jurisdictions as those that “willingly refuse to comply” with federal laws governing communications between local government agencies and national immigration services.
No specific proposals have been put forward yet in Red Bank. Moreover, not all members of the Human Relations Committee agree on the best way to handle the issue.
Semantics aside, Lazaro Cardenas, deputy director of the advocacy group Latino Coalition of New Jersey, said such a move would “ease fear” among the borough’s undocumented community, which he said numbers well into the hundreds of people.
“These are people that have been part of the fabric of these downs for decades,” Cardenas said.
“It’s not for any town to enforce immigration law. That is the federal government’s responsibility.”
Sean DiSomma, committee member and former head of the Red Bank Republican Party, said he sees other ways to help the borough’s undocumented community.
“The approach suggested by David Pascale appears to be well-intentioned, but extremely shortsighted,” DiSomma said, but added he was worried about federal funds the borough could lose.
“The goal of any community board or organization should be to help the community, not scare people, provide false comfort or put taxpayers at risk for millions of dollars.”
DiSomma said he plans to advocate for regular meetings in which lawyers and other professionals help undocumented immigrants understand how to navigate a Trump presidency.
Feds say they aren’t doing immigration raids in NJ
Despite its size, Red Bank’s Hispanic community does not have a presence on the borough council.
Fermin Tomay, a 40-year-old Mexican immigrant who has lived in Red Bank for 11 years, said the borough’s adding protections for undocumented immigrants would help bring that community in from the margins.
“You’re trying to go about your daily life and you’re scared they’re going to pick you up,” Tomay said, referring to immigration officials. “We’re not gambling. We’re not doing anything illegal other than not having papers.”
Tomay added that he’s seeing starting to Red Bank’s undocumented community retreat into the shadows, fearing deportation. “People are definitely scared to talk to the police,” he said.
Red Bank Police Chief Darren McConnell said his officers don’t contact federal immigration officials if an undocumented immigrant is charged with a non-indictable offense, basically a misdemeanor.
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“What we do now is we follow the (state) attorney general’s guidelines for serious crimes,” McConnell said, adding that anytime someone is charged with an indictable offense, Red Bank police would alert immigration officials.
A spokesman for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office said that office follows essentially the same policy.
They won’t contact immigration officials for minor crimes, but the prosecutor won’t stand in the way if the federal officials come to detain a suspect.
In the meantime, ICE is not conducting raids in New Jersey, according to the agency.
“We are not conducting raids,” said Alvin Phillips, an ICE spokesman in Newark. “We have communities who are in fear that ICE is going through the streets and deporting people, and that’s not the case.”
Depending on the committee’s recommendation, the borough council could have the chance to add further protections for it undocumented community.
Red Bank Councilwoman Kathy Horgan, a Democrat, said she doesn’t “want to separate kids from their families,” but added that she’d have to see a resolution before saying if she could support it.
The Red Bank Human Relations Advisory Committee will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 27 on the first floor of Borough Hall, at 90 Monmouth St.
Original post http://www.app.com/story/news/local/communitychange/2017/02/24/red-bank-steps-into-sanctuary-city-debate/97546436/
