A former Somerset County municipal judge is facing disciplinary charges after allegedly threatening undocumented students and their mothers with deportation during truancy hearings according to New Jersey Monitor.
Britt J. Simon, who served in Bound Brook, Bridgewater, Somerville, and Raritan Borough, has been suspended since February 11. A formal complaint filed by the state’s Advisory Committee on Judicial Conduct cites multiple instances in which Simon referenced Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during court proceedings.
In one case, Simon told a 16-year-old boy who was accused of excess school absences: “Your mother’s going to get deported. You are going to end your mother’s life.” He later said, “Look at your mother, get ready to say goodbye to her.”
On August 13, 2024 he called the teenager “a beggar” and “a piece of garbage.” He went on to ask about the mother’s legal status. The boy confirmed she was undocumented. “So you want to call attention to the school truant officer that you get law enforcement involved in your lives. Don’t you? So your mother can get picked up and deported by ICE. That sound like a great idea? You’re a wonderful son. I say sarcastically because you’re not,” Simon said.
In another case, he told a teenage girl, “You’re about to get plucked up by the ICE officials and sent back to El Salvador,” and warned, “You miss another day for school and I’m going to personally have ICE here to pick you up.”
Days after President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, Simon told one student, “There’s a new sheriff in town,” adding, “The ICE officials wait outside the door for people like you.”
The full complaint outlines three truancy cases overseen by Simon. He is accused of scolding the children related to each case and addressing them without a municipal prosecutor present.
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