By Ted Fetter, Immigration Justice Task Force Chair
On Tuesday, October 3, there was an urgent call from the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice (NJAIJ). The emails and texts, starting around noon, called for immediate action. The Atlantic County Board of Commissioners would vote that very afternoon at 4:00 on a resolution calling for the State Legislature to rescind New Jersey’s Sanctuary State status. Supporters of immigrants had to mobilize quickly to oppose that resolution.
The Atlantic County Executive had proposed the resolution to rescind. He acted in the wake of the opposition to using the Atlantic City airport as a possible place to house migrants, but his anti-immigrant views had been consistent well before that. He was pushing for an immediate vote.
Central to the opposition to the resolution was El Pueblo Unido of Atlantic City, a member of NJAIJ. Its director called on others to join the effort. Email or call the commissioners. Attend the afternoon meeting, either in person or via Zoom. Leave voicemail messages. Do those things quickly! And the coalition partners responded.
The call for support from NJAIJ and El Pueblo Unido went out throughout New Jersey. Both in Atlantic County and elsewhere in the state, people responded with messages and voicemails. And we succeeded. That afternoon, when the Board of County Commissioners met, the resolution for New Jersey to rescind its Sanctuary State status failed for lack of a second! No elected Board member was willing to go on record in support.
This small story tells us a great deal. When we organize, we can win. When we act quickly, the elected officials hesitate to make a bad statement. The idea that New Jersey would cease to be fair and welcoming failed, not by a close vote but by a mile.
Thank you to all the UUs who responded to this urgent call. And thank you to all the coalition partners who showed that when we act together, we are strong. Let’s do it again, on issue after issue.