Overview
- The DOJ filed the suit Monday in federal court in Trenton seeking to invalidate Executive Order No. 12 and block its enforcement.
- Signed Feb. 11, the order bars immigration agents from nonpublic areas of state property without a judicial warrant and forbids using state sites as staging, processing, or operations bases for civil enforcement.
- The complaint argues the directive obstructs federal immigration enforcement, violates the Supremacy Clause, and contributes to the release of criminal noncitizens, citing convictions such as aggravated assault, burglary, and drug and human trafficking.
- Governor Mikie Sherrill and Acting Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said the state will defend the policy, with Sherrill urging the federal government to improve ICE training.
- The DOJ filing drew notice for repeated typographical errors, including misspelling the governor’s name, as New Jersey rolled out a public portal for residents to report and document ICE activity.