Protesters Blocked ICE Van From Leaving Bergen Co. Jail: Sheriff

HACKENSACK, NJ — A vigil in support of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee held at the Bergen County Jail eventually led to charges for 14 demonstrators, who tried to block ICE vans from leaving the jail.

The Bergen County Sheriff's Office said charges include rioting, criminal trespassing, obstruction of the administration of law and failure of a disorderly person to disperse. One person is charged with aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, according to public information officer Keisha McLean.

In a joint statement released by Cosecha New Jersey and Ridgewood for Black Liberation, the groups said that "community members laid their bodies on the line in the demand for Marvin Jerezano Peña to be released."

Sheriff's Officials said the protesters were originally blocking vehicles from "entering and exiting the sally port for individuals being booked into the Bergen County Jail and refusing a lawful order to disperse" on Tuesday.

They eventually let those vehicles pass, but blocked the area again when an ICE van attempted to leave, McLean said.

However, the Sheriff's Office is investigating after video shared with Gothamist/WNYC showed an officer "putting one protester in a headlock and then forcibly twisting the ankle of another," according to the report.

"The alleged video recording of a protester being assaulted by an officer is being reviewed by the BCSO Professional Standards Unit," McLean said.

Among those arrested include residents of Bergen County, California and New York, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Activist groups have protested consistently outside the Hackensack jail in opposition to ICE, and the organization's presence in New Jersey has grown increasingly prickly for lawmakers.

Essex County recently ended their contract with ICE, and it's been reported that elected officials in Hudson County will think about doing the same.

There is also movement on a state level to ban prisons from contracting to hold federal immigration detainees.

According to a recent Patch report, the Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee voted in favor of A-5207 by a 4-3 margin. Its companion, S-3361, gained approval from the Senate Law and Public Safety committee in May.

If passed, the legislation would prohibit state, local governments and private companies in New Jersey from entering into, renewing or expanding detention contracts with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Even as state lawmakers and local officials begin the processes of ending ICE contracts, there seems to be no such movement in Bergen County.

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