The Hudson County Board of Commissioners approved a new round of resolutions supporting bills in the New Jersey legislature aimed at curtailing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions, including the “F*** ICE” bill.
By Dan Israel/Hudson County View
The governing body unanimously (9-0) approved three resolutions in support of New Jersey Assembly bills 4-300, 4-302, and 44-46, all three co-sponsored by local Assembly members Katie Brennan and Ravi Bhalla (both D-32).
Commissioner Bill O’Dea (D-2), who sponsored all three resolutions, underscored how this is a continuation of he and the board acting in their capacity against ICE.
“All of those state initiatives are critical for us to protect residents and all people who live within Hudson County,” O’Dea told HCV.
The commissioners have previously expressed support for state legislation to rein in federal immigration enforcement actions in New Jersey, and recently created the Immigrant Community Safety Committee and Safe Communities Committee to combat the issue.
Bill 4-300 would impose a 50 percent tax on gross receipts from the operation of “carceral facilities” in New Jersey and establish the Immigration Protection Fund.
Meanwhile, Bill 4-302 would prohibit certain employment of certain ICE employees in certain state and local positions.
And finally Bill 4-446 would establish the “Fight Unlawful Conduct and Keep Individuals and Communities Empowered Act” (or F*** ICE Act) and would permit civil action for violations of the U.S. Constitution related to immigration enforcement.
The aforementioned profanity in that state legislation has led to Assemblyman Brian Bergen (R-26) to file an ethics complaint against only Brennan, alleging that the curse word snuck into the bill title violated the state’s code of ethics and therefore public trust.
“Let me be clear: this is not about immigration policy or ICE. People can debate those issues all day long. This is about respect for the Legislature and the public trust,” he wrote on X.
“The bill’s title appears intentionally written to create an obscene acronym targeting a federal agency, something the Assemblywoman has acknowledged publicly on social media. The legislative process should not be used to sneak vulgar slogans into the official record.”
Brennan was quick to point out the that Bergen directed a curse word at a fellow legislator while on a hot mic in 2021 during a gun control debate with Democrats.
“While my colleagues and I are working to protect New Jersey residents from masked ICE agents, Assemblyman Bergen is busy filing complaints about a bill name. Please be serious,” she told the New Jersey Monitor.
