The Hoboken Trust Act, to codify Mayor Ravi Bhalla’s first ever executive order from January 2018, was adopted by the city council last week by a tally of 6-1(1).
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“I want to sincerely thank the Hoboken City Council members who voted for adopting the Hoboken Trust Act and officially codifying our Fair and Welcoming City policies into law,”
Bhalla said in a statement.
“With this vote, Hoboken reaffirms its unwavering commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of all residents, regardless of immigration status. This law will help preserve trust between our immigrant communities and local government, ensuring that Hoboken remains a safe, inclusive, and welcoming city for everyone.”
Specifically, The Hoboken Trust Act prohibits city officials from honoring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE detainer requests or sharing sensitive personal information without a valid judicial criminal warrant.
It also limits inquiries into a person’s immigration status by municipal employees, unless explicitly required by law.
Bhalla added that the municipal law prohibit bias-based profiling and “will
guarantee equal access to municipal services for everyone in the community.”
Council members Tiffanie Fisher, Mike Russo, Ruben Ramos, Phil Cohen, Emily Jabbour and Joe Quintero voted yes, while Council President Jim Doyle abstained and 1st Councilman Paul Presinzano voted no.
The administration planned to have the council vote on the measure last month, but ended up pulling it.
The move comes in response to the U.S. Department of Justice’s sanctuary city lawsuit against Hoboken, Jersey City, Newark, and Paterson and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi threatened to cut their funding if they continued not to cooperate with ICE, as HCV first reported.