Legislative Democrats to introduce new slate of anti-ICE bills

A group of legislative Democrats announced a package of bills to bolster New Jersey’s opposition to the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement, including a bill that would disqualify most Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents under President Donald Trump from holding state jobs in the Garden State. 

The legislators said the bills come in response to ICE’s “escalating tactics,” which they said include warrantless raids, masked agents in unmarked vehicles, and targeted operations outside of workplaces and schools. The yet-to-be-introduced legislation would also implement a 50% tax on gross receipts of private detention facilities in the state and establish a criminal offense for any person, including a federal officer, to block state or local law enforcement officials from a crime scene.

State Sen. Raj Mukherji (D-Jersey City) will introduce the bills in the Senate; in the Assembly, his 32nd districtmates Ravi Bhalla (D-Hoboken) and Katie Brennan (D-Jersey City) will sponsor the legislation, as will Speaker Pro Tempore Annette Quijano (D-Elizabeth) and Assemblywoman Alixon Collazos-Gill (D-Montclair).

“As ICE targets far right extremists for recruitment and continues to sow seeds of chaos throughout the country, disregarding the Constitution and practices widely accepted by law enforcement, states are forced to take action to ensure these rogue personnel are bound to the law and held accountable,” Mukherji said in the announcement. “In New Jersey, we value the rule of law and human rights.”

Quijano, a member of Assembly leadership, is set to introduce another bill that would bar ICE agents from using state property to organize and launch civil immigration operations, in line with an executive order signed by Gov. Mikie Sherrill last week.

“Many residents in my district, across New Jersey, and throughout the United States are here because someone in our family once took a brave journey for a better life, and it is in that spirit that I support this legislation to protect our immigrant families,” Quijano said in a release. “No one is above the law, but everyone, including immigrants, deserves due process, fairness, and the chance to work towards the American dream.”

The first bill in the package, A4300, would impose a 50% tax on the gross profits of “private carceral facilities” in New Jersey, including privately operated migrant detention centers. Prior New Jersey legislation had attempted to shut down such facilities, but courts have deemed those provisions unconstitutional.

The second bill, A4301, would make it a criminal offense to block state or local law enforcement officials from accessing crime scenes or evidence within their jurisdiction. Minnesota officials say federal law enforcement has blocked them from accessing vital evidence in the shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti.

The final bill in the package, A4302, would disqualify ICE agents or officials who worked for the agency between September 1, 2025, and January 20, 2029, from working in state government, including as law enforcement officials or teachers.

Democrats are seeking executive and legislative avenues to stifle ICE, which they allege has abused its authority in following Trump’s demands for aggressive deportation operations. The agency has faced national scrutiny in recent months, especially after agents shot and killed U.S. citizens in two separate incidents in Minneapolis.

And operations are picking up in New Jersey, as well. Brennan cited a viral clip of ICE agents telling Jersey City Councilman Jake Ephros that they did not need a judicial warrant to conduct operations on public transit.

“These bills help make it clear that whether it’s ongoing attempts at mass incarceration of immigrants in private prison camps, or ICE agents seeking employment as local police officers and teachers, we will fight tooth and nail to protect the interests of New Jersey residents,” Bhalla said.

Last week, an Assembly panel advanced a trio of bills related to immigration enforcement, including one that would codify the Immigrant Trust Directive into law and another that would bar federal agents from wearing masks during routine enforcement operations.