Corzine unveils immigration panel

Blue-ribbon board to develop state strategy

August 07, 2007

By BRIAN DONOHUE

Star-Ledger Staff

With immigration reform stalled in the U.S. Congress, Gov. Jon Corzine yesterday formed a panel to find ways that state government can tackle growing immigration problems. But immigrants seeking relief from their precarious lives and towns looking for help with burgeoning populations won't get any immediate answers. Corzine yesterday announced that the 27-member blue-ribbon advisory panel will study ways to better integrate foreign born residents and report back to him in 15 months. The group is expected to make recommendations on education, citizenship status, civil rights, fair housing, health care, language proficiency and job training.

"Today we take an important step in creating a comprehensive statewide strategy for weaving immigrants into the economic, social and civic fabric of our communities and state," Corzine told a packed crowd at the former Jersey Central Railroad Terminal in Liberty State Park. The committee is headed by Public Advocate Ron Chen, and includes labor experts, academics, social service providers, immigrant advocates and church organizations. Its creation was met with skepticism by some who favor tougher enforcement of immigration laws, including Morristown Mayor Donald Cresitello. Like Corzine, Cresitello supports efforts to grant legal status to many illegal immigrants. But he has applied to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security program, known as 287(g), which deputizes local police officers as immigration agents.

Instead of forming a committee, Cresitello said the governor could take immediate action such as ordering the state Department of Labor to crack down on employers of illegal immigrants. "I don't want to wait 15 months," he said. "I think this is just a black hole where Corzine wants to park an issue that he's uncomfortable with."

About one in five of the state's 8.7 million residents was born in other countries, according to U.S. Census figures. The state is also home to an estimated 450,000 illegal immigrants. Unlike many states, New Jersey's Legislature and governor's office have taken little action on immigration matters in recent years. Several states, including Colorado and Florida, have enlisted state troopers in a 287(g). Several others have passed laws designed to restrict benefits for illegal immigrants. Other states, including Texas and New York, allow students who immigrated illegally as children to pay in-state tuition rates at state colleges to keep them from dropping out. And some, like Tennessee, have experimented with special driver's permits issued to undocumented immigrants.

In June, federal legislation that would have granted status to millions of illegal immigrants, bolstered border security and toughened rules prohibiting employers from hiring illegal immigrants collapsed amid partisan bickering in the U.S. Senate. The inaction at both the state and federal levels has many New Jersey towns, including Morristown, trying to come up with their own ways to handle problems like unlicensed drivers and overcrowded housing. Until Congress gets back to the issue, Chen said, the state "essentially will have to make the best of it." "I realize the frustration of people who want more enforcement of immigration laws. ... But I don't think the answer is to have 566 different policies on it," Chen said, referring to the number of towns in the state.

Charles "Shai" Goldstein, executive director of the New Jersey Immigration Policy Network and a member of the new panel, said the group is aware that blue ribbon panels in the past have not led to much concrete action. "We know the history," Goldstein said. But he asserted the panel had more power, partly because it is headed by Chen, a Cabinet member with the power to investigate state departments and agencies. He said he expects the panel to make recommendations on some issues before the 15-month deadline. "It has muscle," Goldstein said. "This panel has unlimited potential to do great work."

Brian Donohue may be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or (973) 392-1543.