The North Bergen Board of Commissioners are decrying the possibility that the FBI won’t probe assault cases for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents going forward.
“With ICE agents continuing to terrorize communities like North Bergen by using violent, unsafe tactics and ignoring state and local laws put in place to protect residents, this report saying that federal law enforcement authorities have been directed not to investigate incidents involving ICE is deeply troubling,” the five township commissioners said in a joint statement.
“No one is above the law, and that includes ICE agents or anyone else who violates someone’s civil rights. Without the deterrent effect of possible federal prosecution, this may embolden ICE agents to exercise even less control and restraint, creating an even more dangerous situation for immigrants and all other residents, including local law enforcement officers. The North Bergen Board of Commissioners urges the Justice Department to reverse this decision and ensure accountability for ICE.”
North Bergen officials have a particular reason to be interested in this development right now, with residents telling the Hudson County Board of Commissioners last week that James J. Braddocks Park is currently a hot spot for ICE activity, as HCV first reported…