Thread by @mattkatz00

Dems in NJ feuding over whether 3 Dem counties should continue to jail immigrants for ICE thru big $ contracts. THREAD: Last month Dem Hudson County exec @TomDeGise & freeholders gave ICE a 10-year extension. Now @SenatorMenendez--a Hudson County Dem--calls that "blood money" 1/

.@CoryBooker had told me last year, thru a spox, that Dems should end contracts (gothamist.com/news/booker-nj…). But now he's getting more detailed, saying detention "perpetuate[s] dangerous & dehumanizing immigration enforcement," and NJ counties shouldn't "enter" contracts. 2/

Booker doesn't call for Hudson, Essex & Bergen counties' detention contracts to be cancelled, which they could be. Still, county-level Democrats are incensed at the public rebuke from Booker and Menendez. Hudson Freeholder Vainieri says it's "infuriating," via @HeinisHardNews: 3/

Thing is, when Booker ran with Hudson County Dems last month, Vainieri et al were still planning to end contract by 12/31/20. Hudson switched positions, suddenly, 2 weeks ago. And tho Vainieri says activists don't speak for most, all 150+ who spoke at meeting opposed contract. 4/

Here's a thread from @mrjoeltorres, one of the 3 freeholders who voted against Hudson's ICE contract. He said he was blindsided to even find it on the agenda for the meeting.

https://twitter.com/mrjoeltorres/status/1335285473393192962

5/

So why did Dems have this change of heart on ICE detention at the county jail? New explanation from @TomDeGise, that the ICE money "helps pay the salary of over 3,000 county employees" & county programs. Note: No financial analysis has ever been released.6/nj.com/hudson/2020/12…

So far @SenatorMenendez has last word. He pushes back on the Democratic Hudson County leaders -- his home base! -- in this statement, saying they "chose to ignore the fierce objections of county residents." The public nature of this feud is unusual. 7/

Meanwhile anti-ICE activists are activated. County Exec @TomDeGise had protesters outside his house in Jersey City, and called the cops. And @AmyTorresNJ filed charges against Freeholder Anthony Romano for pushing her during a protest at his fundraiser: nj.com/hudson/2020/12… 8/

Background--> This story I did in 2018 shows how Democratic counties of Essex, Bergen and Hudson were making bank off ICE thanks to Trump: wnyc.org/story/under-tr…

And here's my story last month on Hudson approving ICE's new 10-year detention contract: gothamist.com/news/nj-democr… 9/

Classic pugnacious Jersey/Hudson County talk here from Dem county executive, saying "this is MY party." Of ICE Protesters, he says: “I’m the nicest guy in the world, but if you want to pick a fight with me, you won’t have to look hard. I’ll be here.” 10/ tapinto.net/towns/jersey-c…

.@TomDeGise angry re: anti-ICE protesters coming to his house: “As long as they keep marching in front of my house--I hope they’re real proud of trying to terrorize 2 senior citizens--but as long as they’re doing that, we’ve got nothing to talk about." 11/ hudsoncountyview.com/despite-ongoin…

Top elected official in Hudson County, NJ, @TomDeGise, plus 5 freeholders, got judge to sign RESTRAINING ORDER against anti-ICE protesters:
-Protests banned in front of DeGise's home
-Protests can't be held more than once every 2 weeks
-Protests can't have more than 10 people.12/

This is...unusual! DeGise is the ultimate decision-maker in the county yet he didn't show up to the freeholder meeting when Democrats voted to extend ICE contract for a decade. So activists have been going to his house. 5 named & 20 unnamed defendants, led by @AmyTorresNJ. 13/

@AmyTorresNJ Here's the full order signed by Judge Jeffrey R. Jablonski, posted by @HeinisHardNews. Curious if activists/journalists/lawyers know of similar political/legal pushbacks like this on the local or national level: hudsoncountyview.com/wp-content/upl…

This comes as protests continue at the Bergen County Jail, another ICE detention center run by NJ Dems, in solidarity with 6 hunger strikers there who haven't eaten in 3 1/2 weeks. 1 of them told my colleague @karen_yi today that he's lost 44 pounds:

https://twitter.com/karen_yi/status/1336450789989113859

15/

@karen_yi Just realizing that the Democrats' restraining order against the anti-ICE activists restricts protests to only between 7 PM -- not 7 AM! -- and 8 PM. That means they can protest for 2 hours, total, each month, with no more than 10 people at each protest. A judge signed this. 16/

@karen_yi Hours later, @TomDeGise's restraining order is now being enforced, with an officer confronting protesters about a "court injunction" mandating only 1-hour protests every 2 weeks. Officer also threatens to take off his mask & jokingly says he has Covid. facebook.com/watch/live/?v=…

The restraining order can be enforced on people referred to by the judge's order as "John and Jane Doe 1-20" -- which, of course, could be anyone!

Protesters laugh when the sheriff's officer says they are only allowed to protest one night every two weeks. 18/

3 arrests of anti-ICE protesters named, presumably, John and Jane Doe, at the 46-minute mark here: instagram.com/tv/CIj8rR2HNmt…

Amazing how national immigration policy is ultimately enforced, in many ways, not by ICE but by local cops arresting people in their own communities. 19/

DeGise, a Democrat, calls anti-ICE activists "zealots," "Democratic Socialists" and "forces of hate." Characterizes all detainees as criminal convicts, which is false. Hudson County also does not provide free legal representation, as he says...NY does. 20/ nj.com/opinion/2020/1…

ALSO: Maybe @TomDeGise doesn't know who is housed there, because he says detainees "came to our country illegally and then committed serious crimes." Some of them did, yes. But others are Green Card holders/permanent residents. Many have no criminal convictions, ever. 21/

@TomDeGise The Jersey City kosher market and cemetery shootings occurred one year ago tomorrow. 22/

https://twitter.com/MattFriedmanNJ/status/1336755265815912448