MAPLEWOOD, NJ — An Essex County town has taken a bold move to protect its residents against possible profiling and institutional discrimination as the nation prepares for a Donald Trump presidency.

On Tuesday, the Maplewood Township Council passed Resolution 3-17, which expresses the municipality's "commitment to equal, respectful and dignified treatment of all people, regardless of their immigration status." The resolution makes Maplewood the first municipality in New Jersey to declare sanctuary status in 2017, according to local advocacy group New Jersey Working Families (NJWF).

The text of the resolution stops short of identifying itself verbatim as a "sanctuary city," an issue that council members vacillated on before deciding on the final version, as Maplewoodian.com reported. But the underlying protections it offers are similar to those typically seen in "sanctuary" legislation.

The resolution states that local police and other agencies will not assist federal law enforcement agencies like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with identifying or arresting immigrants whose only alleged crime is related to their legal status.

In addition, it states that none of Maplewood's municipal services shall be dependent on their immigration status, and requires the local police chief to develop an operating and training policy that is consistent with the resolution. All efforts from township officials will be "in accordance with local and state laws separate of any federal immigration laws," officials stated in a Jan. 20 update on the municipal website.



In December, East Orange became the first municipality in the Garden State to pass a sanctuary resolution in the wake of Donald Trump's election. A similar measure was due to be considered by the Orange Township City Council on Tuesday but was tabled and will be taken up in coming weeks, according to the NJWF.

"Maplewood has been - and will continue to be - welcoming and open, embracing individuals of diverse racial, ethnic, religious and national backgrounds, and different ages and sexual orientation," Mayor Victor DeLuca stated.