hoboken

Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla today announced that the City of Hoboken will introduce an ordinance at the City Council meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 17, to codify the 2018 executive order declaring Hoboken a Fair and Welcoming City. This legislation, titled the Hoboken Trust Act, if adopted would formally advance Hoboken’s longstanding commitment to protecting immigrant communities and preserving public safety through trust-based community policing.

Originally issued as an executive order in the wake of rising fears about federal immigration enforcement, the policy is now being put forth as legislation to ensure these protections become permanent law. The Hoboken Trust Act would ensure that local resources are not used to assist federal immigration enforcement operations, prohibit bias-based profiling, and guarantee equal access to municipal services for all residents, regardless of their immigration status.

“At a time when ICE arrests and raids continue to create fear in immigrant communities across New Jersey and the country, it is more important than ever for cities like Hoboken to lead with clarity and conviction,” said Mayor Bhalla. “By codifying this policy into law, we are sending the clear and unequivocal message that Hoboken remains a city that values and protects all residents, no matter their immigration status, and that this will not change under future administrations. I strongly encourage the City Council to adopt the Hoboken Trust Act and enshrine our values into law so that we can continue to be a City committed to protecting civil liberties, public safety, and human dignity.”

“As a social services provider and a longtime resident of Hoboken I believe the passage of the Trust Act ordinance reaffirms our city’s commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of all residents regardless of their immigration status,” said HOPES Community Programs Manager Barbara Reyes. “It also demonstrates that Hoboken stands united in the belief that trust between our immigrant community and local government is essential to the well-being of our city. It makes me proud to be a part of this great city.”  

The Hoboken Trust Act emphasizes that collaboration between local law enforcement and federal immigration agencies, such as ICE and CBP, undermines public safety by eroding trust between immigrant communities and police. It prohibits Hoboken officials from honoring ICE detainer requests or sharing sensitive personal information without a judicial criminal warrant and restricts municipal agents from inquiring about a person’s immigration status except where explicitly required by law.

“Hoboken is a Fair and Welcoming City and with the introduction of the Hoboken Trust Act, the Hoboken City Council has the opportunity to codify this policy into municipal law,” said City Council Vice President Phil Cohen, one of the Act’s sponsors. “Now is the time to act.”

“I’m excited to sponsor this ordinance as it enacts into law what we value most, protecting our friends and neighbors when they need the most help,” said co-sponsor of the Act, At-Large Councilman Joe Quintero. “Hoboken, like New Jersey and America as a whole, would be nothing without our neighbors who immigrated here, we are here today to announce proudly that we will always have your backs!”

Highlights of the Hoboken Trust Act include:

• Prohibits Hoboken from using local resources for federal civil immigration enforcement.
• Prevents cooperation with ICE, CBP, or USCIS without a valid judicial criminal warrant.
• Ensures equal access to municipal services regardless of immigration status.
• Prohibits bias-based profiling and verbal abuse by municipal employees.
• Prohibits collection of confidential personal information such as immigration status except when expressly required under state or federal law.

The ordinance reinforces the City’s support for New Jersey’s Immigrant Trust Directive, issued by the State Attorney General, which limits the role of local law enforcement in federal immigration enforcement. Though upheld in court after being challenged by the Trump administration, the directive remains an executive policy that could be rescinded by a future governor. Mayor Bhalla called on the New Jersey Legislature to adopt the Immigrant Trust Act to codify these protections statewide and encouraged other municipalities to pass similar local legislation.

“I urge the City Council to adopt the Hoboken Trust Act and enshrine these critical protections into law,” said Mayor Bhalla. “But we can't stop at the local level. I strongly urge the New Jersey Legislature to pass the Immigrant Trust Act to make these safeguards permanent across our state, and I encourage cities and towns throughout New Jersey to take similar measures to help safeguard their policies and turning them into laws. Together, we can build a statewide framework that protects the rights of every resident.”

For more information on the Hoboken Trust Act as up for introduction, CLICK HERE.