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The New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice and member organizations are celebrating the passage of a bill in the New Jersey Assembly that will ban new Immigration and Customs Enforcement contracts in the state. NJAIJ has been fighting for the bill as part of their “Fair & Welcoming Platform” to block new ICE detention contracts, as well as renewals or expansions. But even though the coalition is happy with the momentum, it’s still waiting for the Senate to consider its version of the bill, which hasn’t been scheduled for a vote. On Friday, more than 40 immigrant rights and justice organizations sent a letter urging its quick passage. “No resident should fear for their safety because local contractors take dirt money from ICE,” Amy Torres, executive director of NJAIJ, said. Deanna Garcia for Documented.
In other local immigration news…
Will All Essential Workers be Represented at NYC Pandemic Heroes Parade?
New York City Hall announced retail, bodega and transportation workers will be among the groups represented at a parade for essential workers. But leaders of organizations that represent food delivery workers and transit workers — many of whom are immigrants — say organizers haven’t contacted them. “Rain or shine, rain, sleet or snow, during heatwaves, we deliver to people who can’t or won’t leave their home or offices, to sometimes great personal sacrifice,” said Sergio Ajche, a delivery worker and leader of Los Deliveristas Unidos. Brooklyn Councilmember Justin Brannan (D) tweeted “What’s the deal?” to Mayor Bill de Blasio after saying City Hall “neglected to invite” Los Deliveristas Unidos and the Transport Workers Union. THE CITY
Hundreds Fight for Citizenship for NJ’s Undocumented Immigrants
Giovana Castaneda’s father was deported when she was only five years old, leaving her mother to raise her and her two siblings alone. The Elizabeth, New Jersey, resident lives in constant fear that her mother will be deported. Castaneda, along with Make the Road New Jersey, helped organize a rally this past Sunday to fight for undocumented immigrants in the state. “My family is only one of millions of families that have been separated within the United States, and this has to end now,” she said. Hundreds gathered to call on U.S. Senators Robert Menendez and Cory Booker to utilize the reconciliation process to design an eight-year pathway to citizenship. NJ.com
Immigrants Try to Restart Their Lives in New Jersey
Dario Alvarado fled Honduras at 16 years old and crossed the U.S.-Mexico border by himself in 2016. After being in immigration custody for months, he was released to his cousin in Morristown. Dario dropped out of high school after a year and then moved out. He now lives in Dover and works in a factory producing hand creams. Dario is one of over 275,000 children who have crossed the border without a parent since October 2014, which is when more young migrants began to leave their Central American home countries due to violence and poverty. North Jersey
