Announces Resolution Supporting DDDI Funding Increase

TRENTON – Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz issued the following statement in response to Governor Mikie Sherrill's announcement that New Jersey will fully fund the Detention Deportation Defense Initiative (DDDI) at $20.2 million in the upcoming state budget:

"Today, New Jersey took a meaningful step toward ensuring that no one faces detention or deportation alone.

"I applaud Governor Sherrill for standing up for constitutional rights and human dignity by fully funding the Detention Deportation Defense Initiative, a key priority for both myself and the Legislative Latino Caucus in this year’s budget. The disturbing conditions at Delaney Hall are just one heartbreaking example of the fear, mistreatment, and uncertainty immigrant communities are facing every day — part of a much broader pattern that extends far beyond its gates. We must resolutely defend all of our neighbors against these injustices, which is why I have submitted Senate Budget Resolution 691 in support of this critical funding increase.

"No one should have their fate decided in a proceeding lasting mere minutes, without legal representation, while detained in inhumane conditions. Since its founding in 2018, DDDI has been a lifeline for low-income residents navigating one of the most complex and consequential legal processes imaginable—often without counsel. Fully funding this program will double its capacity and ensure that hundreds more individuals have a fighting chance to be heard. The new Rapid Legal Response Initiative complements these efforts by bringing more legal talent into the fold to challenge habeas corpus petitions and other federal litigation, bolstering our defenses even further. As families and advocates have made clear, access to legal representation is one of the most powerful tools a state can provide to protect people's rights, and we are delivering the resources to make that access reality.

"New Jersey has always been a state that leads. Together — alongside advocates, faith leaders, legal service providers, and our partners in government, we will continue using every tool at our disposal to protect the dignity and constitutional rights of all New Jersey residents."