CAMDEN—On February 12, federal immigration agents tried to arrest a man at Woodland Village Apartments in Lindenwold. Students waiting for a school bus ran from the scene. A bus driver circled the complex to retrieve them and take them to counselors at School 5.

The agents left without making an arrest. The Department of Homeland Security said the agents withdrew "for their safety and that of the community."

Nine weeks later on April 16, the Camden County Board of Commissioners voted 7-0 to bar ICE from county buildings and properties without a judicial warrant.

What the Resolution Covers

The resolution applies to county-owned or leased property. It covers the Camden County Correctional Facility, Camden County College, Camden County Technical Schools, county administrative buildings, and parks. The Correctional Facility holds no active detention contract with ICE, according to the National Immigration Justice Center and the Prison Policy Initiative.

Under the resolution’s terms, the Camden County Police Department, the Sheriff's Office, the Department of Corrections, and County Counsel must establish procedures blocking immigration agents from non-public areas. The resolution also orders know-your-rights training for employees and residents. It prohibits county employees and contractors from using county resources to assist with civil immigration enforcement.

County officials have not specified how the policy will be enforced. The resolution does not specify penalties for ICE agents who enter county property without warrants. Community members in Camden have met over the last few months to address concerns over ICE, according to TapInto Camden.

Other Governments Have Taken Similar Steps

Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, enacted a similar property ban on March 5 by a 2-1 vote. Several locations in New Jersey have also preceded Camden’s move. Burlington County passed a condemnation resolution on January 28, citing the killings of two people by ICE agents in Minneapolis.

Newark restricted ICE from city property via mayoral executive order in February, after a chase crashed into a car carrying three minors. Jersey City passed a council resolution calling for ICE abolition the same month, and Kearny prohibited town resources for immigration enforcement on February 10. Governor Mikie Sherrill signed an executive order on February 11 that bars ICE from state property without warrants. She signed legislation on March 25 codifying those restrictions, in addition to banning masked officers and limiting the collection and sharing of personal information.

County Statement and Federal Response

County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr. cited the Lindenwold incident in his April 16 statement. He said ICE agents "lack training, leadership, and accountability" and employ tactics reminiscent of "Putin's KGB." He called President Donald Trump a "cult leader and traitor."

Cappelli also said ICE wrongfully detained residents and tore apart families in Camden County, though he did not provide specific case details in his April 16 statement. He said the incident left children terrified to go to their school bus stop. Cappelli, an attorney who has held office since 2002, served on the board when the Camden County Police Department formed in 2013. He said in January that the department does not coordinate with ICE under the state's Immigrant Trust Directive.

The Department of Homeland Security has pushed back on ICE restrictions like Camden’s. Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement that "the Supremacy Clause makes it clear that New Jersey's sanctuary politicians do not control federal law enforcement."

The agency reported 2,636 immigration arrests in New Jersey during the first three months of 2026. Academic researchers at UC Berkeley and UCLA analyzing ICE detention records found that more than three in four people detained since January 2025 had no criminal record. DHS disputes that finding and claims that roughly 70 percent of arrested individuals face criminal charges or convictions.

DHS has highlighted enforcement in Camden County specifically. A March 16 release cited Gabriel Pichazaca-Juncal, convicted for assault by auto in Camden County, as a "criminal illegal alien" arrest. The agency has also said that ICE officers face a 1,300 percent increase in assaults and an 8,000 percent increase in death threats. DHS provided no independent verification for those statistics.

The Department of Justice sued the state over Sherrill's executive order on February 23. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court in Trenton, argues that the Supremacy Clause bars local property restrictions on federal agents. The litigation remains active. The federal government has not sued Camden County specifically, though the county now steps into the same dispute that landed the state in court.

Related Articles

• DOJ Sues NJ Gov. Mikie Sherrill Over ICE Executive Order 12

• Bill Prohibits Employment of Certain Former ICE Employees in NJ State and Local Positions

• Sherrill Signs Limits on ICE Cooperation as Federal Lawsuit Challenges State Order

• NJ Rep. LaMonica McIver Files Appeal in ICE Case, Citing Constitutional Immunity

Sources

• Risha Inaganti, "Camden County officials say ICE isn't welcome in new resolution," Courier-Post (April 17, 2026)

• Jeff Goldman, "Stay off our property without a warrant, N.J. county tells ICE," NJ.com (April 18, 2026)

• Jeff Gammage, "Camden County bans ICE from conducting civil immigration enforcement on its properties," Philadelphia Inquirer (April 17, 2026)

• Kathy Chang, "Not in our backyard: County curbs ICE presence," South Jersey Media (April 17, 2026)

• Matt Skoufalos, "Camden County Bans ICE from Entering County Property Without Judicial Warrant," NJ Pen (April 17, 2026)

• TapInto Camden, "Camden County Resolution Pledges No ICE Cooperation Without Warrant" (April 16, 2026)

• Camden County Board of Commissioners, "Resolution banning U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from entering any Camden County owned or leased building" (April 16, 2026)

• Camden County Board of Commissioners, "Statement from Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr." (April 16, 2026)

• Camden County Board of Commissioners, "Statement from Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli Jr." (January 28, 2026)

• National Immigration Justice Center, detention database (accessed April 2026)

• Prison Policy Initiative, "Immigration Detention in County Jails" (February 2026)

• Montgomery County Pennsylvania Board of Commissioners, resolution (March 5, 2026)

• City of Newark, Office of the Mayor, executive order (February 2026)

• Jersey City Council, resolution (February 12, 2026)

• Town of Kearny, resolution (February 10, 2026)

Burlington County Board of Commissioners, resolution (January 28, 2026)

• Office of the Governor, State of New Jersey, Executive Order 12 (February 11, 2026)

Office of the Governor, State of New Jersey, bill signing statement (March 25, 2026)

• U.S. Department of Justice, US v. State of New Jersey, 3:26-cv-01770 (filed February 23, 2026)

• U.S. Department of Homeland Security, statement regarding Gabriel Pichazaca-Juncal (March 16, 2026)

• U.S. Department of Homeland Security, "ICE Officers Face an 8,000% Increase in Death Threats" (January 26, 2026)

• U.S. Department of Homeland Security, "Radical Rhetoric by Sanctuary Politicians Leads to an Unprecedented 1,300% Increase in Assaults" (January 8, 2026)

• UC Berkeley School of Law and UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy, Deportation Data Project (April 2026)