LAKEWOOD – New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal will be discussing his “Immigrant Trust Directive” at a town hall meeting at 6 p.m. March 5 at Lakewood High School, 855 Somerset Ave.
The directive, issued back in November, applies to all 36,000 state, county and local law enforcement officers. It states that those officers:
- “Cannot stop, question, arrest, search, or detain any individual based solely on actual or suspected immigration status;
- “Cannot ask the immigration status of any individual, unless doing so is necessary to the ongoing investigation of a serious offense and relevant to the offense under investigation;
- “Cannot participate in civil immigration enforcement operations conducted by ICE;
- “Cannot provide ICE with access to state or local law enforcement resources, including equipment, office space, databases, or property, unless those resources are readily available to the public;
- “Cannot allow ICE to interview an individual arrested on a criminal charge unless that person is advised of his or her right to a lawyer.”
Grewal will be joined by Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, Lakewood Schools Superintendent Laura Winters, Lakewood Police Chief Gregory H. Meyer and Patrolman Alex Guzman, and Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardy.
Two Power Point presentations, in English and Spanish, will educate the public on the Immigrant Trust Directive and bias/intimidation crimes.
“The goal of this presentation is to strengthen relationships between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve – and to address areas of concern before conflicts arise,” Billhimer said.
Admission is free.
