Advocates Plan Demonstration For Release Of Bergen ICE Detainees

HACKENSACK, NJ — Advocates are planning a demonstration outside the Bergen County Jail this week as the fate of Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees remains uncertain.

Recently, the Bergen County Board of Commissioners unanimously voted to end a contract with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which paid the county to house ICE detainees at the county jail in Hackensack.

The move came with support from advocates, but it didn't solve all of their issues with the system of detainment.

ICE has 45 days to move the detainees from the jail, according to the Bergen County Sheriff's Office. Advocates and attorneys are pushing the agency to release those currently detained in Hackensack, but according to Pax Christi New Jersey, it's more likely that a majority of detainees will be moved outside the state.

And it could happen as soon as this week, according to a statement from the organization.

"We learned earlier this week that our friends who are detained by ICE inside the Bergen County Jail will all be removed Thursday 10/28. Some will be released, but because of the cruelty of ICE and our immigration enforcement system, we expect many more of them will be transferred. Advocates and attorneys were informed by the Newark ICE Field Office Director, John Tsoukaris, that anyone who was not released would be transferred to the ICE facility in Batavia, NY. This facility is at least a five hour drive away from the Bergen County Jail."

A spokesperson with ICE ERO Newark didn't confirm any plans for release or detainee movement, only telling Patch that "transfers and releases are handled on a case by case basis."

Patch News Partner Documented NY reports that ICE officials have told lawyers for various detainees that the reason their clients won't be released is that they are a public safety threat, even though some are currently detained on unresolved charges for nonviolent crimes.

"We all hoped that ICE would use its discretion to release," Ellen Pachnanda, the attorney-in-charge of the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project at the Brooklyn Defender Services, told the publication.

She added: "As long as ICE retains this discretion to transfer, they will transfer."

Still, advocates are planning a show of support for detainees at the jail this week, with a demonstration organized by the Interfaith Campaign for Just Closures scheduled for Wednesday at 12 p.m.

"The people inside appreciate our love and support. It is helpful for them to know during this time of great anxiety that we are on their side," Pax Christi said, in a statement.

Bergen County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Keisha McLean recently told Patch that the jail is currently holding 23 male detainees and one female detainee. The Sheriff's Office, according to McLean, has no say in what happens to the detainees when it comes to a release, or a move to another facility.

Read more: Bergen County Votes To End ICE Contract At County Jail

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