Faith leaders urge Gov. Murphy to sign bills protecting immigrants in New Jersey

Faith leaders from New Jersey and across the country are urging Gov. Phil Murphy to sign a package of immigrant protection bills as one of his last acts in office, arguing that the legislation has become an urgent moral test as immigration enforcement intensifies and fear spreads through communities.

In a Jan. 19 letter signed by more than 265 religious leaders, the signers called on Murphy to approve a package of three bills passed by the Legislature in the lame-duck session, warning that any delay could leave vulnerable residents exposed.

The appeal comes as arrests have shaken communities across the state. The signers frame the decision as both a policy choice and a defining moment for Murphy’s legacy as governor.

The letter, released during the observance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. week, invokes what the authors describe as “moral clarity in the present tense,” urging state leaders not to treat civil rights as aspirational or symbolic.

“This is one of those moments when delay becomes its own decision,” the letter reads. “New Jersey can choose courage now by signing these bills in full, as-is.”

The legislation includes three measures: the Safe Communities Act, the Privacy Protection Act, and a bill codifying the attorney general’s directive that limits cooperation between local law enforcement and federal civil immigration authorities. The bills would restrict certain data-sharing practices, reinforce limits on civil immigration enforcement in sensitive settings, and provide clearer protections for immigrant residents navigating daily life.

Faith leaders say the urgency of the moment is underscored by recent deaths connected to immigration enforcement. The letter names Jean Wilson Brutus and Luis Beltran Yanez-Cruz, New Jersey residents who died while caught in the immigration detention system, as well as Minnesota resident Renee Nicole Good, who was killed in Minneapolis during a protest against ICE.

“We grieve them as neighbors, not numbers,” the letter says. “And we say their names because silence is how harm multiplies.”

The signers also cite a series of recent enforcement incidents in New Jersey that they say illustrate how fear has become embedded in everyday life. Among them: the detention of a Morristown high school student while doing laundry, the arrest of a father later separated from his young daughter, detentions near a Salvation Army food assistance site in Bridgeton, and the arrest of a 73-year-old woman at a bus stop in North Jersey.

“These are not hypotheticals,” the letter states. “This is New Jersey. Right now.”

The letter directly addresses concerns that signing the bills could provoke retaliation from federal authorities or lead to increased immigration raids. Faith leaders argue that such fears should not dictate state policy.

“Authoritarianism is not only built through force,” the letter reads. “It is built through permission, through silence, through leaders choosing what is convenient over what is courageous.”

Murphy, a Democrat who previously served as U.S. ambassador to Germany, has not publicly indicated whether he will sign the bills before Mikie Sherrill is sworn in at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20.

Supporters of the legislation argue that the measures would not expand federal immigration authority, but instead establish clear boundaries for how New Jersey’s own institutions can be used.

“Signing these bills does not give ICE new power,” reads the letter. “It draws clear lines around what New Jersey will and will not allow its own systems to be used for.”

The signers represent a wide range of religious traditions, including Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and interfaith groups. They include New Jersey-based clergy as well as leaders affiliated with national organizations such as Faith in Action and ISAIAH.

The letter closes with an appeal aimed not only at the governor but at immigrant residents themselves.

“To every person living with fear tonight, especially immigrant neighbors and families: you are not alone,” the letter reads. “We see you. We are with you.”