After two men were taken by federal agents today on Prospect Street in Maplewood — reportedly without a warrant — the mayors of Maplewood and South Orange have made public statements.
“The Township of Maplewood reaffirms our commitment to the fair and equal treatment of all residents, regardless of their immigration status, as we did when we adopted Resolution 3-17, on January 3, 2017 that decrees that the Police Department shall adhere to the directives and guidelines of the New Jersey Attorney General with respect to the manner in which local law enforcement agencies interact with federal immigration authorities,” wrote Maplewood Mayor Nancy Adams in an email sent to media.
Adams continued, “I just returned from a short trip to St. Louis, grateful to come home to the community I’m honored to represent—welcoming, compassionate, and strong in our diversity. That’s why I was shocked to learn that this morning, three ICE agents in unmarked cars apprehended two people just four blocks from my home—an aggressive Trump-era tactic meant to sow fear. This is not who we are. Our town stands for dignity, safety, and belonging—not intimidation. Our police were not notified, nor do we cooperate with ICE. I will be demanding accountability from state and federal leaders. To every resident: you matter, you belong, and you are not alone.”
South Orange Mayor Sheena Collum also addressed the federal agents’ actions during comments at the South Orange Village Council meeting on Monday night. South Orange also had a person taken off the street on June 6; while ICE has confirmed that action, the agency has still not released the man’s name or why or where he was taken.
“I just want to acknowledge the concern raised by many members of our public today with the spotting of ICE agents disappearing — I guess is the right word, because I don’t know if you can call it arresting — individuals in Maplewood,” said Collum. “I would say that across my social media, I also witnessed a lot of pictures throughout Essex County and other municipalities of ICE agents on the ground today. I think residents of Maplewood, and perhaps even South Orange, I’m not clear on who exactly was there, did the right thing by calling the state number [the DIRE Hotline, (888) 347-3767], by videotaping, by documenting, by not directly physically interfering with an arrest being made.”
Collum continued, “We spoke again today internally— myself, our administrator and chief — on our protocols as a Village to make sure that we are compliant with our resolution as a sanctuary city, and that we do not coordinate or collaborate in any form or fashion with ICE, and keep the community posted.”
“Obviously it’s a very scary time when we see things like this happening,” said Collum. It raises a lot of questions with children about what’s going on here, why are people being taken? The most I can say is that we’ll continue to get through this as a community, and I appreciate all the community members who have gone above and beyond and trying to educate other people, businesses, what numbers they can call, how to be upstanders. And that’s where we are right now.”
