STATEMENT: Make the Road New Jersey Responds to Essex County Decision to Terminate ICE Contract; Detainees Must Be Released to their Communities; Bergen and Hudson Must Follow Suit

(Elizabeth, New Jersey – April 29, 2021) – In response to Essex County’s decision to end their contract with ICE, Make the Road New Jersey issued the following statement:

“ICE detention is inhumane, dangerous, and has caused too much harm to our communities and their families. Essex County’s decision to end the contract is the result of years of organizing and accountability. Still, collecting revenue through a contract with Union County corrections is not progress. We urge Essex County to release all detainees to their families and community.

We urge Bergen and Hudson County to follow Essex County’s example and end their contracts with ICE immediately. The New Jersey state legislature must also enact legislation to ensure ICE cannot open any additional facilities in NJ.”

Make the Road New Jersey builds the power of immigrant and working-class communities to achieve dignity and respect through community organizing, legal services, transformative education, and policy innovation.

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