Service & Solidarity Spotlight: New Jersey State AFL-CIO Celebrates New Laws Protecting Immigrant Workers

Working people across the United States regularly step up to help out our friends, neighbors and communities during these trying times. In our Service & Solidarity Spotlight series, we’ll showcase one of these stories every day. Here’s today’s story.

The New Jersey State AFL-CIO is applauding Gov. Mikie Sherrill for signing into law three pieces of legislation that will protect the rights and safety of immigrant workers in the state.

In response to unidentified federal agents swarming neighborhoods around the country to conduct immigration raids, the Law Enforcement Officer Protection Act will ban all law enforcement officers from wearing masks when conducting official duties and require them to provide identification prior to arresting or detaining a civilian. The Privacy Protection Act limits data sharing by government and health care facilities to ensure residents are not discouraged from seeking necessary services out of fear that their documentation status would be disclosed. Similarly, the third bill—the Immigrant Trust Directive—codifies the attorney general’s 2018 directive that limits the voluntary assistance New Jersey law enforcement may provide to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to prevent immigrant residents from feeling unable to seek out help from local law enforcement.

“New Jersey has one of the highest populations of immigrants in the nation and we were proud to support these important pieces of legislation,” the New Jersey State AFL-CIO said. “[We] will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in solidarity with immigrant workers to ensure they are treated with respect and dignity and are not fearful to reside in our communities.”