A town in New Jersey has taken it upon itself to reach out to local illegal immigrants to instruct them on how to avoid being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials with a new pamphlet containing tips on how to skirt deportation.
Princeton, New Jersey, is handing out the pamphlets and posting the information online in order to prevent what town fathers say are “really unfortunate” arrests of illegal immigrants. The pamphlets warn illegal immigrants to “have a plan” when confronted by ICE agents and advises them to “remain silent” in the face of questioning.
But the City Council’s actions in favor of illegal immigrants, though, comes only about a year after a cold case sexual assault was solved and connected to an illegal immigrant who was then apprehended and found guilty. After the 2005 case of the rape of a Princeton woman sat in limbo for close to a decade, police arrested Humberto Gonzalez, 26, for the woman’s assault. By May of 2014, he was found guilty for the attack.
Councilwoman Heather Howard told NJ.com the city’s goal was to protect the families of immigrants, as ICE seeks to deport those members here illegally.
Recent ICE raids in the area brought condemnation from Howard. “These [arrests] are really unfortunate,” she told the paper. “They cause fear and panic in the community, and they work to undermine the community’s effort to improve law enforcement relations.”
But ICE spokesman Alvin Phillips bristled at the characterization of his work, telling Fox News that ICE raids are not “unfortunate.”
“ICE arrests are not unfortunate,” Philips said. “In fact to the contrary of previous reports — ICE actions are in keeping with the laws and homeland security priorities: National Security, Public Safety and Border Security. I will also add, arrests in question are afforded an opportunity to meet with legal counsel.”
Recent raids in the area brought condemnation
The information on how to thwart American immigration laws also appear on the city’s website under titles such as, “Know Your Rights 2016” and “Protect You and Your Family During Immigration Raids.” They are published both in English and Spanish.
One pamphlet informs illegal immigrants to leave foreign IDs and passports home so U.S. authorities won’t be able to identify them if stopped. Illegal immigrant are also informed to apply for a Mercer County ID card to thwart ICE officials.
The illegal immigrants are also told to contact the Mercer County Human Services office so officials can advise them on how to get out of being arrested.
The city had already launched an ID service for illegal immigrants to help paper over their immigration status. Back in 2011, Princeton Borough and Princeton Township became the latest municipalities to issue local illegal immigrants official government ID cards.
And as evidence of how closely the municipalities were working with advocates for illegal immigrants, the cards were being issued by an advocacy group called the Latin American Legal Defense and Education Fund.
It was estimated the Princeton area has at least 1,000 immigrants from south of the border and many are here illegally. A recent report by the Princeton police stated that the area is 8 percent Hispanic.
A “right to remain silent card” is also posted on the website advising illegal aliens to refuse to say anything at all to ICE agents. The cards also contain a message to officials the migrant is supposed to hand ICE agents.
The card reads: “TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: Please be informed that I am choosing to exercise my right to remain silent and the right to refuse to answer your questions. If I am detained, I request to contact an attorney immediately. I am also exercising my right to refuse to sign anything until I consult with my attorney.”
The town had already announced itself as a “sanctuary city.” Last year, Mayor Liz Lempert said that illegal immigrants are “good people.”
In addition, last September, the city council wadded into the state-wide discussion of issuing drivers licenses to illegal aliens, urging the state to approve the idea.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston, or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.
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