Bergen lawmaker's bill would bar new immigrant detention contracts with ICE
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A Bergen County lawmaker has introduced legislation to ban the state and counties from contracting with federal officials to hold immigrant detainees, though it would allow controversial deals at the Bergen, Essex and Hudson jails to continue.
Assemblyman Gordon Johnson's bill, introduced on Monday, would bar local governments from renewing those agreements when they expire and prevent public and private detention facilities in the state from signing new agreements.
The proposal follows years of protests at the North Jersey jails, where hundreds of immigrants are being held for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as part of the Trump administration's four-year crackdown. Tensions have escalated in recent weeks, with several detainees launching hunger strikes and police and protesters clashing outside the Bergen facility.