February 01, 2026
Joe Rondone/Imagn Images
Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced plans for an online portal where people can upload videos of immigration enforcement, but some immigrant advocates question whether it will move fast enough to protect communities. In this file photo, protesters in Phoenix, Arizona record a federal agent.
Some immigrant activists say Gov. Mikie Sherrill's new proposal to launch an online portal where people can upload videos of immigration enforcement activity is a "little bit of a miss" under the backdrop of aggressive immigration enforcement tactics and escalating tensions.
They have concerns about whether a government-run portal will move efficiently enough to inform people of immigration agents in their towns, and say that Sherrill's efforts should be focused on something that can more effectively protect vulnerable residents.
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"We obviously are sitting in a very historic time in our country when lots of things are happening, and unfortunately, many of them are bad things," said Itzel Hernandez, an organizer with immigrant rights group American Friends Service Committee. "My question really comes down to, what happens after that report? What does accountability look like?"
Sherrill, a Democrat who took office last week, said during an appearance Wednesday night on "The Daily Show" that people will be able to upload videos of enforcement to an online portal run by the state Attorney General's Office. It's part of a strategy the governor announced this week that also would bar federal immigration agents from state property and educate residents of their rights.
Sherrill said the website is intended to counter the secrecy under which federal immigration agents operate.
"They will pick people up. They will not tell us who they are. They will not tell us if they're here legally. They won't check. They'll pick up American citizens. They picked up a 5-year-old child. We want documentation, and we are going to make sure we get it," Sherrill said.
State officials in New York and California launched similar websites last year.
U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi has fought such efforts, claiming the tracking puts immigration agents at risk. In October, the White House demanded Apple remove ICEBlock, the most popular iPhone immigration-tracking app, and the tech giant complied. The app's developer sued President Donald Trump's administration in December for censorship.
RELATED: Gov. Mikie Sherrill urges residents to record ICE agents in New Jersey
Sean Higgins, a Sherrill spokesman, declined to answer questions about when the portal would launch and how the state would verify videos' authenticity.
"Keeping New Jerseyans safe is Governor Sherrill's top priority and, in the coming days, she and Acting Attorney General Davenport will announce additional actions to protect New Jerseyans from federal overreach," Higgins said.
Henal Patel, law and policy director at the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, said she appreciates the Sherrill administration recognizing "the need to take care of our neighbors and protect our democracy." She said more information is needed about the portal plan.
"We know ICE is here in New Jersey. We know there's raids all the time, and we're in a state that's almost majority people of color, with a significant immigrant population. It's a major concern," Patel said.
But immigrant advocates also questioned the helpfulness of such a portal, given how glacially government typically moves. Videos and information about enforcement activity must be posted quickly to best alert and protect communities, Patel said.
Hernandez said she's worried that submissions to the portal will get "lost in the ether" and that people won't trust the government with their photos.
She said it's "a little bit of a miss" to take this step rather than a more concrete action. She pointed to calls from immigrant groups and lawmakers for the governor to commit to signing legislation that would codify a directive restricting when local and state cops can aid federal immigrant agents and put new privacy protections for immigrants in place. Former Gov. Phil Murphy vetoed those two bills in his final hours in office.
"Ensuring that police departments are not cooperating with immigration officers is, I think, one of the most tangible, real steps she could take," she said. "If that step that she's taking is the portal, I hope this is not the ceiling, but very much the ground of what she hopes to do to protect communities in the state."
Assemblywoman Annette Quijano (D-Union), sponsor of the privacy protections bill, applauded Sherrill's idea of a portal documenting ICE agents.
"This portal is not the end of the conversation — it is part of a broader commitment," she said. "I intend to continue introducing legislation that protects all communities, defends civil rights, and ensures that New Jersey stands firm against policies and practices that threaten public trust and due process."
People have a constitutional right to record and hold their government and law enforcement officials accountable, Patel noted. Anyone wary of uploading video to a state site can post it on social media or give it to a trusted media outlet, she added.
"In these times, it'll be brave acts of community members that'll make all the difference," Patel said.
New Jersey Monitor is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. New Jersey Monitor maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Terrence T. McDonald for questions: info@newjerseymonitor.com.
