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A New Jersey township councilwoman forcefully defended Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a heated public meeting, criticizing disruptive protests and condemning comparisons of federal agents to Nazis as ignorant and historically offensive.
Old Bridge Township councilmember Anita Greenberg-Belli made the remarks during a Jan. 27 council meeting as residents debated immigration enforcement, local police cooperation with federal authorities and protests targeting ICE operations across the country.
“We have to recognize that ICE is not the problem,” Greenberg-Belli said. “There are people demonizing them when they’re doing their job trying to be safe.”
Greenberg-Belli argued that restricting cooperation between local police and ICE endangers officers, families and communities by forcing federal agents to carry out arrests in neighborhoods rather than controlled settings like police stations. She said that when local law enforcement is allowed to coordinate with federal authorities, suspects can be transferred safely without agents having to go door to door, reducing the likelihood of confrontations and minimizing risks to bystanders.
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“When local police are told they cannot work with ICE… that is where all this is breaking down,” Greenberg-Belli said.
The councilmember also criticized protesters who, she said, cross the line from peaceful demonstration into disruption, arguing that interfering with enforcement actions escalates tensions and puts lives at risk.
“When you go out and protest in that manner, peaceful protesting’s one thing – disruption is another thing,” she said.
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Greenberg-Belli further condemned protesters and public officials who have compared ICE agents to Nazis, calling the rhetoric offensive and historically inaccurate, particularly as Holocaust remembrance was referenced during the meeting.
“It has no comparison with the Holocaust,” Greenberg-Belli said. “When you use that word and call these people Nazis and fascists, it just shows your ignorance. So please stop.”
She contrasted immigration enforcement with the persecution of Jews during World War II, noting that Holocaust victims were stripped of their rights, property and freedom before being murdered, while individuals facing immigration enforcement retain legal options.
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Greenberg-Belli also raised concerns about the broader impacts of illegal immigration, including financial costs, fraud and election integrity, arguing the issue affects communities nationwide.
“I do not like anyone getting hurt. I don’t like anyone putting themselves in harm’s way. And unfortunately, this has happened, and it’s got to stop,” Greenberg-Belli said.
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“But you can’t go around calling people that are doing their job – that work for the federal government, the state or local government – Nazis, when they’re doing their job: protecting communities,” she added.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Greenberg-Belli for additional comments on the matter.
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