TRENTON, N.J. – Governor Mikie Sherrill has announced a statewide digital reporting portal allowing New Jersey residents to document and report encounters with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, marking one of her most assertive moves since taking office earlier this month.
The online platform, expected to launch within days, will allow citizens to upload cell phone videos, photos, and firsthand accounts of ICE activity anywhere in the state. Sherrill said the goal is to improve transparency and protect residents’ civil rights following a series of controversial federal enforcement actions. “If you see an ICE agent in the street, get your phone out. We want to know,” she told supporters during a televised interview.
If you see an ICE agent in the street, get your phone out – Governor Mikie Sherrill
“I served all over the world in the Navy, and I’ve seen what secret police forces look likeor the fear certain populations live under.,” Mikie Sherrill said. “I’ll say, I knew where this was headed when we started to see DHS peopletaking loyalty oaths to the president, notthe Constitution. We saw people in the street with masks and no insignia, so not accountable at all, hiding from the population. And we saw, again and again, an undermining of what law enforcement should do to keep people safe.”
She added, “I saw where this was going. But to come to the point where someone like Renee Good, a mother of three, who drops her six-year-old off in herHonda Pilot and gets shot and killed, to see someone like Alex Pretti, whowas an ICU nurse at the VA–I saw his official photo. And I’ve seen a million of those, you know, with the flagin the background.”
The portal will be operated through the state attorney general’s office, which has been directed to compile reports, verify incidents, and alert local authorities where possible. State officials said submissions will be reviewed for evidence of unlawful activity, including operations conducted without warrants or proper identification. Sherrill emphasized that all reports will be treated confidentially and that undocumented residents can safely submit information without fear of reprisal.
The decision comes amid growing tensions between New Jersey and the federal government over immigration enforcement. Sherrill, a former Navy pilot and federal prosecutor, criticized the Department of Homeland Security for what she described as “unaccountable policing tactics,” citing reports of agents conducting raids without identifying themselves or notifying local jurisdictions. She said the state’s refusal to allow ICE raids on state-owned property would be backed by this new reporting system to ensure full accountability.
• New Jersey to launch an online portal for residents to report ICE activity
• Governor Sherrill says the tool will protect civil rights and ensure transparency
• Reports will be reviewed by the attorney general’s office for potential violations
Sherrill framed the initiative as part of a broader effort to reassert state authority and protect residents from federal overreach. “We’re not going to allow fear or confusion to take hold in our communities,” she said. “People deserve to know their rights, and they deserve to be safe in their own neighborhoods.”
The ICE reporting portal represents one of the most sweeping state-led oversight efforts in the nation and underscores Sherrill’s intent to challenge Washington’s influence over immigration enforcement in New Jersey.
