NEW JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — New Jersey lawmakers advanced a package of bills on Thursday to protect immigrants and prevent police from wearing face coverings in some situations.
The bill that restricts all police from wearing face coverings was amended to provide some carve-outs for officer health and safety and note when face coverings are tactically necessary. It was emphasized that this would mainly apply to local and state police, with minimal, if any, impact on federal agents not under state jurisdiction.
Another bill revives the codification of the immigrant trust directive.
Immigration advocate Katy Sastre said this updated bill isn’t as strong as the previous version, vetoed by former Gov. Phil Murphy, and she urged lawmakers to put Gov. Mikie Sherrill on the spot by requiring a judicial warrant for local cooperation with ICE.
“Let the governor veto it if she doesn’t like it. But your job is to protect us, and this bill is not going far enough," Sastre said.
A third bill would prohibit hospitals and other institutions from sharing personal information and immigration status with federal authorities.
All three bills received committee approval and advanced towards a full vote.