Immigration (Driver Licenses & IDs)

This bill (S 1521) amends New Jersey's workers' compensation law to exclude undocumented immigrant workers from receiving workers' compensation and temporary disability benefits. It specifically states that employees who are not lawfully admitted for permanent residence, lawfully present for employment, or permanently residing in the U.S. under color of law at the time of injury are ineligible for these benefits. The key mechanism is an amendment to R.S.34:15-36, which defines who qualifies as an "employee" for benefits purposes. This change directly affects undocumented immigrant workers who sustain work-related injuries in New Jersey, denying them access to these specific financial protections.

S 1332 requires New Jersey's Secretary of State to enter an agreement with the Administrative Office of the Courts to match voter registration data with jury records. This specifically targets individuals who claimed non-citizenship as a reason for jury duty excusal or deferral, enabling the identification and removal of non-citizen registrants from the voter rolls. The matching agreement applies retroactively to all available jury records since 1994, when New Jersey began allowing voter registration while applying for driver's licenses. This bill directly affects non-citizen individuals mistakenly registered to vote and mandates a data-sharing mechanism between election and judicial systems to maintain voter registration integrity.

This bill prohibits New Jersey municipalities from passing ordinances that require local officials to refuse cooperation with federal immigration enforcement requests. It directly affects mayors, city councils, and county officials who might adopt "sanctuary city" policies. The law makes it a misdemeanor for officials to vote for such non-cooperation policies after the bill's effective date, with potential fines up to $1,000, jail time up to one year, or loss of office. It also requires local employees to comply with federal immigration requests as an ethics obligation and provides state defense/indemnification for officials cooperating with federal authorities, barring intentional misconduct.

This bill (S 1571) requires New Jersey's Attorney General to repeal a 2018 law enforcement directive (No. 2018-6) that restricted local police from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. The directive prohibited state and local officers from providing certain assistance to federal immigration officials when the sole purpose was enforcing immigration law, including sharing release dates for detained individuals or extending detention based solely on immigration requests. The bill states this directive threatens public safety and urges its immediate repeal. If passed, it would remove these restrictions, allowing law enforcement to share information with federal immigration authorities as permitted under federal law.

New Jersey's S 903 requires state law enforcement officers (specifically the chief law enforcement officer or Superintendent of State Police) to notify federal immigration authorities when a non-citizen applies for a firearms purchaser identification card or handgun purchase permit. This bill amends existing state law by adding a new notification obligation for these specific applications, directly affecting non-citizen residents seeking to purchase or possess firearms. The requirement applies during the standard background check process for firearm permits, where retailers already submit background check information to the State Police. The bill does not change eligibility criteria for permits but mandates an additional reporting step to federal immigration authorities for non-citizen applicants.