I spoke before the West Windsor Town Council this evening, defending the idea of a pro-ITA municipal resolution there modeled on the one we have in Princeton. I was very pleased to learn that Councilman Dan Weiss had already written in favor of the Immigrant Trust Act; he expressed enthusiastic support for a municipal resolution at the meeting as well. My hope is to re-visit the issue with the council after the election with some West Windsorites in tow. Here’s the text of the statement I gave.

Hi, my name is Irfan Khawaja; I live in Princeton. Though I’m not a West Windsor resident, I’ve worked in West Windsor in past years, and as a commuter, am at the Junction everyday, twice a day. So I’ve read with interest about your upcoming election and in particular the questions asked of the candidates.

But it seems to me that one question has gone unasked: would the mayor and council be willing to pass municipal resolution in favor of the Immigrant Trust Act? Such resolutions have been passed by some twenty municipalities in the state, including Princeton, Trenton, Montgomery, and possibly Cranbury (which is set to vote on it), and three counties, including Essex, Hudson, and most recently, Union. I’d like to add West Windsor to the list. 

As you all know, there’s an ongoing controversy in West Windsor about the Bridge Point 8 warehouse proposal, which now seems to be going forward. Lost in this controversy are some little noticed but highly significant facts.

First, much of the front line staff in warehouses of this type consists of immigrant workers, including undocumented ones.

Second, these workers are on the receiving end of a severe and systematic set of assaults by federal law enforcement.

And third, these federal operations have taken on an increasingly brutal and lawless character.

The ITA would codify and extend the protections of the existing Immigrant Trust Directive to protect such workers. The push for local resolutions is intended to press state legislators to pass the Act before it’s too late.

In speaking before local bodies across the state, I’ve often heard the objection that state-level legislation like the ITA is beyond the purview of a given body. Local bodies, we’re told, would prefer to focus exclusively on local matters. But this strikes me as unrealistic, and in any case contradicts standard practice. Every council meeting begins with a Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the nation and the republic. Neither the nation nor the republic are local matters; the Pledge is there to remind us that local matters are always more than merely local. On a more practical note, when grants are at issue, local and regional politics come together: localities look to the broader community for support and vice versa. West Windsor is no exception in this respect.

Given this, I think it’s appropriate for all localities, West Windsor included, to assume a modest duty of reciprocity to the wider community. A pro-ITA resolution is just that: it expresses support for migrants and joins the wider struggle for them, without imposing a binding legal obligation on the town and without costing anything. I hope you’ll give it serious thought.