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News: Democrats in Hudson County, NJ, plan a vote next week on whether to keep jailing immigrants for ICE under a new contract. This would be a reversal of Dems' 2018 promise to end the contract in the face of public outcry over conditions at the county jail for the detainees. 1/
The contract is opposed by immigrant rights groups and local mayors, but the lure of the $120-per-day fee for each jailed immigrant was apparently too enticing. The thinking seems to be that ICE will be less controversial in this Democratic, diverse county under Biden. 2/
Hudson County hasn't taken my calls for weeks about its plans, and freeholders were mostly mum and/or absent at last meeting when dozens spoke against contract for hours, but @HudCoTweet Executive @TomDeGise, a Democrat, must think he has the votes on the all-Democratic board. 3/
Another factor: A plan to fill jail beds with Mercer County inmates is held up in court, so county needs ICE $. We haven't seen proposed new ICE contract, but it's #26 on agenda for 1 pm freeholder meeting on Monday: http://www.hudsoncountynj.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Caucus-Agenda-11-23-2020.pdf Final vote could be Tuesday at 1 pm. 4/
These same freeholders literally voted to end the contract at a heated meeting 2 years ago last month: https://www.wnyc.org/story/hudson-county-end-ice-detentions-2020/ But recently @TomDeGise indicated a change of heart to @HeinisHardNews: https://hudsoncountyview.com/tom-degise-on-ice-contract-i-think-biden-wins-well-have-somebody-that-we-can-talk-to/. And last meeting got tense: https://hudsoncountyview.com/hudson-county-freeholders-endure-over-4-hours-of-public-comment-opposing-ice-renewal/ 5/
