New Jersey lawmakers, led by Democrats, pushed a sweeping package of immigration-related bills through the Assembly late Monday, teeing up Governor Murphy for final action before he leaves office.
After hours of tense debate, the Legislature approved three measures aimed at limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, including ICE, increasing data privacy, and locking in protections for so-called “sensitive locations” like schools, hospitals, and houses of worship.
Supporters say the bills are about public safety, trust, and holding federal agents to higher ethical standards. Critics call them sanctuary laws by another name. New Jersey is already a sanctuary state.
At the center is Bill S-5036, the Safe Communities Act, which directs the state attorney general to set clear rules barring most cooperation with federal civil immigration enforcement at locations where residents seek care, education, shelter, and other essential services. State agencies would be required to adopt those policies and post them publicly.
S-5037, the Privacy Protection Act, limits when government agencies and health care providers can collect or share personal data tied to immigration status, place of birth, or Social Security numbers. The Legislature’s intention with S-5037 is to ensure people receive the care they need—free from fear of entering a hospital or health care center.
The third measure would permanently codify New Jersey’s 2018 Immigrant Trust Directive, which made New Jersey a sanctuary state during Murphy’s first term. The directive restricts when state and local police can assist federal immigration authorities and bans policing based solely on suspected immigration status.
As ICE operations ramp up across the country and in New Jersey, Democrats advanced the three-bill package as a firewall against what they described as aggressive federal enforcement tactics.
“This is a public safety bill, plain and simple,” said Sen. Raj Mukherji, a Democrat representing Hudson County. “When victims and witnesses are afraid to come forward, violent offenders remain on the streets. This legislation strengthens and maintains trust between our diverse communities and state and local law enforcement, and it allows police to do their jobs—focusing on real public safety threats, preventing violence, and solving crime—while ensuring taxpayer resources are not misused to enforce federal civil immigration violations at a time when ICE has repeatedly disregarded due process and civil rights across the country.”
The recent killing of a woman during a federal immigration operation in Minneapolis was cited repeatedly by Democrats as a warning of unchecked enforcement.
Republicans pushed back hard, arguing the bills shield criminals, undermine law enforcement, and invite chaos. They pointed to isolated instances of past crimes committed by undocumented immigrants as evidence.
The bills passed mostly along party lines and now await Murphy’s decision. He has just days to act. If signed, New Jersey would further cement itself as one of the nation’s most protective states for immigrants.
A significant portion of New Jersey’s population is foreign-born. In 2024, around 25% of the population—roughly 2.4 million people—were immigrants, making New Jersey the second-most immigrant-rich state in the country on a per-capita basis.
Only California stands ahead of it.
The New Jersey Digest is a new jersey magazine that has chronicled daily life in the Garden State for over 10 years.