Immigration (Driver Licenses & IDs) in New Jersey

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

A 509: Provides for agreement between Secretary of State and AOC to match information in Statewide voter registration system with certain jury records in order to identify and remove ineligible non-citizen voter registrants from system.

This bill requires New Jersey's Secretary of State to match the Statewide voter registration system with jury records to identify and remove non-citizen voter registrants. Specifically, it mandates an agreement with the courts to cross-check voter data against juror records - including requests for excuses based on non-citizenship - to remove ineligible registrations. The matching applies retroactively to all available jury records since 1994, when New Jersey allowed voter registration at driver's license offices. This process aims to improve the accuracy of voter rolls by ensuring only eligible citizens remain registered.

Topics ✗ Immigration

Sub-Topics Citizenship & Naturalization Driver Licenses & IDs

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

A 1849: Requires governing board of public school to verify employment eligibility of teaching staff members and school employees.

This bill requires all New Jersey public school boards to verify the work authorization of teaching staff and school employees using the federal E-Verify program. It applies to all new hires starting the first full school year after enactment and mandates annual verification for all current staff. The law directs the state education commissioner to provide schools with guidance on E-Verify requirements and federal rules. It does not prevent schools from hiring noncitizen teachers holding valid limited certificates under existing state law. The bill takes immediate effect upon enactment.

Topics ✗ Immigration

Sub-Topics Driver Licenses & IDs Work Authorization

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Feb 19, 2026

A 4260: Requires expunged records to be accessible for immigration purposes.

This bill requires New Jersey courts and agencies to make expunged criminal records available to individuals upon request for immigration or naturalization purposes. It directly affects noncitizens in New Jersey who have had criminal convictions expunged and need these records for U.S. immigration applications or citizenship processes. Under the bill, if a person with an expungement order requests records for immigration matters, the court or designated agency must provide the records to them or their representative, rather than stating "no record exists." This change ensures expunged records remain accessible for federal immigration requirements without requiring the individual to seek additional legal action.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✓ Immigration

Sub-Topics Courts Citizenship & Naturalization Driver Licenses & IDs Immigrant Services

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

A 323: "Protecting Legally-Present Youngsters' Limited Educational Resources Act"; requires students who are not U.S. citizens or legal immigrants to pay tuition to attend public schools.

This New Jersey bill (A 323) requires public school districts to charge tuition to students who are not U.S. citizens or legal immigrants, while allowing citizens and legal immigrants to attend free. Specifically, schools must verify a child's citizenship or immigration status before enrollment; students without documentation must pay annual tuition of at least $1,000 per year. Districts must report the number of tuition-paying students and collected funds in school report cards, and post this data online. The bill directly affects non-citizen students, including undocumented children, and aims to shift educational costs away from taxpayers by requiring tuition payments from this group.

Topics ✗ Education ✗ Immigration

Sub-Topics Higher Education Citizenship & Naturalization DACA & Dreamers Driver Licenses & IDs

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

A 1996: Enhances protections under Law Against Discrimination for immigrants and persons who are not United States citizens.

This New Jersey bill amends the Law Against Discrimination to explicitly protect immigrants and non-citizens from discrimination based on their immigration status or citizenship status. It adds these categories to the list of protected characteristics in employment, housing, and public accommodations, alongside existing protections for race, gender, disability, and other factors. The law ensures individuals cannot be denied jobs, housing, or services due to their immigration or citizenship status, and clarifies that discrimination against people for these reasons harms both individuals and the state. This expands existing anti-discrimination law to directly address barriers faced by immigrant communities.

Topics ✓ Housing ✓ Immigration ✓ Labor & Employment

Sub-Topics Citizenship & Naturalization Driver Licenses & IDs

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

A 558: Requires law enforcement agencies to adopt policies of cooperation with federal immigration officials.

This bill requires all New Jersey law enforcement agencies - including municipal, county, and state police departments, as well as educational institutions with campus police - to adopt written policies for cooperating with federal immigration authorities upon request. It defines "law enforcement officer" broadly to include those with arrest powers under state law. The bill also mandates that the state defend officers in civil lawsuits arising from cooperation (unless misconduct occurred) and cover settlement costs for officers following the policy. This directly affects thousands of officers across New Jersey’s 566 municipalities and educational institutions with police forces. The policy change would standardize cooperation with federal immigration enforcement at the local level.

Topics ✗ Immigration

Sub-Topics Driver Licenses & IDs Enforcement Sanctuary Policies

in committee · New Jersey · Senate Mar 23, 2026

S 3521: Codifies AG directive, "Strengthening Trust Between Law Enforcement and Immigrant Communities."

This bill (S 3521) codifies New Jersey's Attorney General's "Strengthening Trust Between Law Enforcement and Immigrant Communities" directive into law. It prohibits state, county, and municipal law enforcement officers from stopping, questioning, arresting, or detaining individuals based solely on immigration status or federal immigration violations. The law also bans officers from asking about immigration status (except when directly relevant to investigating a specific crime) or sharing personal data like Social Security numbers, license details, or addresses with federal immigration authorities for enforcement purposes. The bill explicitly affirms that law enforcement must focus on state criminal law enforcement, not federal immigration enforcement, to maintain community trust and public safety.

Topics ✓ Criminal Justice ✓ Immigration

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement Driver Licenses & IDs Enforcement Sanctuary Policies

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

AR 18: Directs AG to repeal and amend certain provisions of directive restricting law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

This bill (AR 18) directs New Jersey's Attorney General to repeal and amend specific parts of the 2018 Law Enforcement Directive (No. 2018-6), which previously restricted state and local law enforcement from sharing immigration status information with federal authorities like ICE. It specifically targets the restriction on sharing citizenship/immigration status details, allowing law enforcement to coordinate with federal immigration agencies when necessary for public safety. The bill preserves exceptions for T-Visa (human trafficking victims) and U-Visa (crime victim) certification procedures. It directly affects New Jersey police departments, sheriffs' offices, and state law enforcement agencies by removing legal barriers to cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

Topics ✗ Immigration

Sub-Topics Driver Licenses & IDs Enforcement Sanctuary Policies

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

A 153: Prohibits municipal ordinance to create sanctuary city; establishes State and local employee ethics violation upon noncompliance with federal immigration enforcement request.

This bill prohibits New Jersey municipalities from passing ordinances that require local officials to refuse cooperation with federal immigration enforcement requests. It directly affects municipal and county governing bodies, making such policies void and imposing penalties (including fines or loss of office) on officials who vote to adopt them. The bill also requires local employees to comply with federal immigration requests and provides state defense for employees acting in good faith during such cooperation. Key provisions include banning "sanctuary city" policies and establishing legal protections for local officials who follow federal immigration enforcement requests.

Topics ✗ Immigration

Sub-Topics Driver Licenses & IDs Enforcement Sanctuary Policies

in committee · New Jersey · General Assembly Jan 13, 2026

A 744: "New Jersey Laken Riley Act;" establishes law enforcement procedures for arrests of aliens unlawfully present in the U.S. charged with certain crimes.

The New Jersey Laken Riley Act requires law enforcement to check the immigration status of non-citizens arrested for specific serious crimes - including violent offenses, certain traffic violations causing injury, or federal "aggravated felonies." If confirmed as unlawfully present, these individuals face a legal presumption of pretrial detention, overriding the state's bail reform law. The bill mandates compliance with federal immigration detainer requests and repeals a prior law prohibiting local jails from holding immigrants for federal authorities. It also rescinds New Jersey's "Immigrant Trust Directive," aligning state procedures with federal immigration enforcement priorities.

Topics ✗ Criminal Justice ✗ Immigration

Sub-Topics Law Enforcement Driver Licenses & IDs Enforcement Sanctuary Policies

All immigration bills