Killing ICE contracts doesn’t help detainees | Editorial
Today 8:15 AM
X EXJAIL27 CASIANO PERLMAN
Essex County Jail just announced that it is ending its contract to house ICE detainees. (William Perlman | The Star-Ledger) SL
By Star-Ledger Editorial Board
Protestors are demanding an end to contracts that allow federal immigration authorities to detain people in our local jails, after Trump-era sweeps imprisoned harmless grandpas alongside dangerous criminals.
Democrats like Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker don’t want to be associated with that. They’ve added to the pressure, and activists are now celebrating Essex County’s recent decision to abandon its contract with ICE, and pushing a bill to ban the agency from having any contracts in New Jersey.
Yet in our rush to help these detainees, we’re missing a critical voice: The detainees themselves, who stand to be even worse off if they are moved from New Jersey to more remote locations. Many of their lawyers, sworn to uphold their best interests, are saying, “Don’t do this.”
https://www.nj.com/opinion/2021/05/killing-ice-contracts-doesnt-help-detainees-editorial.html
