When Nedia Morsy and her allies at Make the Road New Jersey pounded on 11,500 doors and made 96,000 calls in CD-11 on behalf of Analilia Mejia, they concentrated a lot of attention on Latino voters in Bloomfield, Belleville and Nutley.

In that intense, eight-week period, they encountered people worried about the impact of President Donald Trump's ICE raids.

"Voters consistently cited Trump's attacks on immigrants as their number one concern," Morsy told InsiderNJ today as she celebrated Mejia's primary victory. "We met a Latino voter, for example, who shared the fact that despite her U.S. citizenship, she was afraid that ICE would arrest her because of her accent. This is a heinous reality for people.

"We did this in coalition together with labor progressives and other immigrant rights organizations," said Make the Road NJ's executive director.

"Analilia delivered a powerful win in a crowded field with a bold and progressive platform," Morsy added. "She proved what is possible not just for the wealthy and well connected. I recall what she said, and it especially applies - 'proximity to power is not power.' We showed what is possible when we refuse to accept politics as usual. This is a call to candidates all across the country, that if we are in the fight to abolish ICE, we can actually unite the party and usher in a New Jersey and America where all people can thrive."

Morsy applauded second-place finisher Malinowski, who conceded today, praising him both for standing up to AIPAC and for now supporting Mejia.

Mostly, she praised the winner and what it means for Make the Road NJ.

"This victory belongs broadly to our members," said Morsy. "We are proud to stand with Analilia, who brought together a coalition, proving that she is an organizer through and through."

The persecution by ICE of people in Minneapolis down the stretch of the North Jersey campaign, including the assassination-style killing of Alex Pretti, fixed voters' attention on the immigration issue. They looked for a leader with a record of authentic advocacy.

That was Mejia.

"Voters and fellow candidates got to understand the power of Minnesota, and Analilia  brought everyone together through deep relationships," Morsy said. "She's cared for people. She's mentored people, including me, to be able to build something so much larger, to coalesce people around a message of abolishing ICE, but also building a new day, where we can't go back to business as usual. She is such a creator of spaces to imagine a new world of concrete response. This is an opportunity for people to move at the speed of their conscience for a vision welcoming to immigrants."