IMMIGRANT ADVOCATES CALL FOR DETAILS, SOLUTIONS FOLLOWING GOV SHERRILL’S FIRST BUDGET ADDRESS

TRENTON, NJ [02/10/2026] - Following today’s budget address, immigration advocates are calling on Governor Sherrill for clear commitments to immigrant communities through legal services, healthcare for undocumented youth, language access, and protections that prevent New Jersey’s resources from being co-opted and used by the federal government. Prior to today’s address, the Governor made it clear in public statements that the economic forecast for the state is grim given federal cuts. But New Jersey has also been rocked by another form of federal chaos: a rampant escalation in immigration enforcement and a growing number of immigration detention jails.

The Governor began her address by grounding her vision for the state in her family’s own personal experience. “I know what people can lose when the government fails,” she said, referencing her grandparents' losses during the Great Depression. Governor Sherrill also took aim at President Trump for, “slashing critical programs from healthcare and housing, to food aid and foster care, schools and infrastructure.” But Governor Sherrill’s address left many immigration advocates with far more questions than answers.

Necessary investments in legal services, healthcare coverage for undocumented children, and life-saving government services like language access went unaddressed. In fact, New Jersey’s immigrant community, which represents a quarter of the state, received no mention from the Governor at all. Governor Sherrill is proposing $2 billion in cuts, with only $700 million in revenue, leading many immigration advocates who struggled to have their issues heard by Sherrill during her gubernatorial campaign, wondering whether their services will be first to go.

While the Governor did mention the federal cuts to medicaid, housing, and other social services under H.R. 1 (also known as the President’s “Big Beautiful Bill”), she declined to mention how those same dollars have been funneled back into the Department of Homeland Security. Many New Jerseyans have expressed fear and frustration at the boom in immigration enforcement in their communities. President Trump has also gifted major tax breaks to the private prison and Big Tech benefactors that are fueling immigration detention expansion in New Jersey and across the nation.

Since President Trump took office one year ago, New Jersey has been the target of some of the largest and most headline-breaking ICE raids in the country. Nationally, tensions between federal agents and local and State governments are rising. Just this weekend, bodycam footage revealed that immigration officers fatally shot a Texas driver during a traffic stop last year. Earlier last month, federal agents raised and pointed a firearm at people in a suburban area of Morris County, and just two weeks ago, federal agents led a high speed chase in Newark that resulted in a multi-vehicle crash involving children.

Two of the largest corporations doing business in New Jersey, Core Civic and GEO Group, were also not included in the Governor’s inaugural address. Both have opened and are actively pursuing additional ICE detention jails and offices across New Jersey and the region, while surveillance tech companies like Palantir still receive investment through state pension funds. Governor Sherrill took aim at Big Tech algorithms when it comes to price fixing and rent setting, but avoided talking about other ways in which New Jerseyans data is exploited and ends up in the hands of ICE and CBP. Existing proposals in the legislature to protect immigrants have been watered down in recent weeks.

While additional details will emerge once the Governor’s Budget in Brief book is published, immigration advocates are calling on New Jersey to:

• Invest in and expand the Detention and Deportation Defense Initiative to $30M and legal services for unaccompanied minors and ensuring swift contract procurement for community-based organizations;
• Enhance funds for immediate Language Access Law implementation so that the newest New Jerseyans have access to critical information, care, and their rights;
• Fully fund the Cover All Kids Program, so that the federal Medicaid cuts do not eat into the scarce funds available for undocumented children;
• Ensure New Jerseyans have a voice in their democracy by investing $25 million in a 2030 Census Initiative to ensure accurate representation and a complete count of our communities.

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New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice is the state’s largest immigration, bringing together 70+ organizations to fight for policies that empower and protect immigrants.