Immigrant Rights Advocates Urge Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise and Freeholders to Vote to End IGSA Detention Contract With ICE

NEW JERSEY — Tuesday, November 24th, 2020 — As Hudson County Freeholders prepare to vote on renewing the County’s Inter-Governmental Service Agreement (IGSA) contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that will continue detaining immigrants in the Hudson County Jail, the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice released the following statement:

“In a time when Black and Brown immigrant communities are demanding divestment from the unjust incarceration and detention systems that deplete our communities of resources to be able to thrive, the Hudson County Freeholders are looking to renew their toxic contract with ICE. New Jersey’s immigrant communities stand against the renewal of this contract and demand Hudson County officials invest in our communities by ensuring access to legal representation for immigrants rather than continue to collaborate with ICE’s detention and deportation system.

“Based on the Freeholder’s commitment in 2018 to ending the ICE contract by the end of this year, this vote should not be taking place. We call on the Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise and Freeholders to honor their commitment to end the ICE detention contract by voting no on renewing at today’s meeting.

Immigrant detention is an unjust system that doubly punishes individuals based on their immigration status and allows families to be separated in New Jersey.  Hudson County must stop profiting from detaining Black and Brown immigrants in its jail for ICE and the consequent family separations it causes in our communities.

“We demand the Freeholders vote to end the ICE contract and lead the way in ending all detention and deportations in New Jersey and across the United States.”