Morristown mayor urges calm after confirming immigration arrest: 'We do not assist ICE'

USA Today

12-02-2025

Morristown mayor urges calm after confirming immigration arrest: 'We do not assist ICE'
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ICE raid in Newark nabs both illegal immigrants and US citizens
ICE rounded up illegal migrants and U.S. citizens in a raid in Newark, New Jersey, just days President Trump took office.
Morristown Mayor Tim Dougherty urged the town's immigrant population to "be safe and be calm" after U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers arrested an individual outside a local business on Tuesday, in what the mayor called "an action that was not communicated to our Morristown Police Department or to our local government."
"We are still seeking information about the incident," the mayor stated in a Facebook post. "The Morristown Police Department, like all other local and state law enforcement agencies, adheres to the directives established by the New Jersey State Attorney General's Office regarding immigration matters, which means that we do not assist ICE or participate in any immigration enforcement activities."
The arrest was another sign of ICE's increased activity in New Jersey, as part of President Donald Trump's promise to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants. Trump has repeatedly described the crackdown as targeting migrants accused of violent crimes. But immigrant advocates in the Garden State have complained that the raids are also sweeping up many who have no criminal records or are accused of minor charges.
ICE media representatives did not immediately return a request for comment on Wednesday. In a Feb. 5 interview with New Jersey Spotlight news, John Tsoukaris, New Jersey's ICE field director, said the agency is focused on "those that are public safety cases, those that are committing crimes, as well as those that have been ordered deported from the United States. This is all a result of the president's executive order.'
ICE arrest in Morristown: What happened
In an interview Wednesday, Dougherty told the Daily Record the arrest took place near the Abbett Avenue entry to the Staples store on Lafayette Street. He learned of the incident only because an ambulance was called to the scene.
Morris County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Capt. Denise Thornton said her department was not involved in the arrest, and was unaware that it occurred until Dougherty made his statement.
Regarding enforcement of immigration laws, Thornton said "We are in full compliance with the directives of the Morris County Prosecutor and the Attorney General in the Immigrant Trust Directive."
Adopted in 2018, the state's Immigrant Trust Directive restricts local law enforcement from participating in federal immigration operations. It prohibits stopping, searching or detaining any individual over immigration status or detaining immigrants at the request of ICE, except in cases of serious or violent crimes or final deportation orders.
More: Immigration enforcement has many in NJ on edge. Can Murphy hold back Trump?
The Morris County Prosecutor's Office stated that they were not contacted by ICE and were "unaware if any individuals were taken into custody" and "the MCPO's obligations under the Attorney General's Immigrant Trust Directive still remain in effect."
Dougherty said he has no problem seeing violent offenders arrested, but "we must also stand together to ensure that law-abiding immigrants who are contributing to our society are treated fairly.
"I want to be clear to Morristown residents that we value and respect our local immigrant community and that we will do everything in our power to ensure that their rights are respected and that they are treated with dignity and humanity during this uncertain time," Dougherty added.
Dougherty said that anyone with questions or concerns about immigration enforcement can call his office at [phone] or the police department at [phone].
"We will be closely monitoring this situation and will work with our Hispanic community leaders, church congregations, nonprofits and other organizations to support our immigrant community," the mayor said.
About 37% of Morristown's 20,000 residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, according to the U.S. Census.
Enforcement followed inauguration
ICE's activity in Morristown follows a series of similar arrests in New Jersey and across the nation after Trump was sworn into his second term on Jan. 20.
During his campaign, Trump threatened the deportation of 11 million undocumented immigrants. More than 470,000 New Jersey residents are undocumented. On the day of his inauguration, Trump declared a national border emergency and ordered the U.S. armed forces to repel "forms of invasion" at the U.S.-Mexico border, including illegal migration and drug trafficking.
The executive orders he signed appeared to lay the groundwork for Trump's promised crackdown, including ending birthright citizenship for the children of some foreigners.
Four days later, ICE agents raided a Newark business without a warrant. The agency arrested three undocumented immigrants but also "detained folks that are citizens," according to Mayor Ras Baraka.
Baraka, also a candidate for governor, called a press conference in which he said the Trump administration that Trump's orders "threaten democracy and they threaten us individually."