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A New Jersey township councilwoman strongly defended Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a heated public meeting, condemning the disruptive protests and denouncing the comparison of federal agents to Nazis as historically ignorant and offensive.
Old Bridge Township Council member Anita Greenberg-Belli made the comments during the council’s Jan. 27 as citizens discuss the issue of immigration enforcement, local police cooperation with federal authorities and protests targeting ICE operations across the country.
“We have to know that ICE is not the problem,” Greenberg-Belli said. “There are people who demonize them when they are doing their job trying to be safe.”
Greenberg-Belli said limiting cooperation between local police and ICE puts officers, families and communities at risk by forcing federal agents to make arrests in neighborhoods rather than controlled police stations. He said if local law enforcement is allowed to cooperate with government authorities, suspects can be transferred safely without agents going door-to-door, reducing the chances of conflict and reducing the risk to bystanders.
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Old Bridge Township, New Jersey, council member Anita Greenberg-Belli forcefully defended ICE during a heated meeting, condemning the disruptive protests and calling comparisons to Nazis ignorant and offensive. (Old Bridge Township via YouTube)
“When local police are told they can’t cooperate with ICE … that’s where this all falls apart,” Greenberg-Belli said.
The member of the council also criticized the protesters, saying that they cross the border from peaceful protests until they are disturbed, saying that interfering with law enforcement actions increases tensions and puts people’s lives at risk.
“When you go out and protest like that, peaceful protest is one thing – disruption is another,” he said.
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Greenberg-Belli also criticized the accusatory language used by activists, saying that immigration law is “not comparable to the Holocaust.” (Yuki Iwamura/AP Photo)
Greenberg-Belli also criticized protesters and government officials who compared ICE to Nazis, calling the speech offensive and historically inaccurate, especially as the Holocaust memorial was discussed during the rally.
“It cannot be compared to the Holocaust,” Greenberg-Belli said. “If you use that word and call these people Nazis and Fascists, it shows your ignorance. So please stop.”
He compared forced immigration to the persecution of Jews during World War II, noting that Holocaust victims were deprived of their rights, property and freedom before execution, while people facing forced immigration retained legal options.
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Greenberg-Belli also expressed concern about the broader implications of immigration. (Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images)
Greenberg-Belli also expressed concern about the broader impacts of illegal immigration, including financial costs, fraud and election integrity, saying the issue affects communities across the country.
“I don’t like anyone getting hurt. I don’t like anyone putting themselves at risk. And unfortunately, this happened, and it has to stop,” Greenberg-Belli said.
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“But you can’t go around calling people who do their job – who work for the federal, state or local government – Nazis, when they’re doing their job: to protect communities,” he added.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Greenberg-Belli for additional comment on this story.
