Gov. Mikie Sherrill meets with NJ Spanish-language news outlets ahead of midterms!
‘This election is incredibly important because we need inroads to federal power,’ she says, urging people to vote on November 3rd.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill met with representatives from Spanish-language news outlets in Montclair on Tuesday, Oct. 27, to discuss issues crucial to the state’s Hispanic community.
Montclair State University.- By Anthony Advincula
The exclusive press briefing, organized by the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University in partnership with Univision 41, was conducted in both Spanish and English at the College of Communication and Media and brought together 25 publishers and editors from Spanish-language news outlets covering the state.
The discussion, hosted by Ana Patricia Candiani, anchor for Univision 41, centered heavily on immigration, including surges in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in New Jersey, including operations near schools and local neighborhoods. Journalists also asked about the reported inhumane conditions at the Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark, which have sparked hunger strikes, ongoing protests, and clashes between demonstrators and federal authorities.
“Unfortunately, what I hear about more and more, not just from the Hispanic community but so many communities across New Jersey, is about ICE and the fear that people have,” Sherrill said.
“Even with the small businesses, a lot of the concern that they expressed to me is that ICE is ruining different downtown areas in New Jersey,” Sherrill said. “People are afraid to come out. They’re afraid to go to dinner. Some people are afraid to go to work.”
The governor told the gathering that as “one of the most forward-leaning states when it comes to dealing with ICE,” private detention facilities should not be allowed to operate in New Jersey or in the country. She added that she will continue to fight in court to shut down Delaney Hall.
Protecting the midterm elections
Representatives from outlets including Reporte Hispano raised concerns about potential voter intimidation by ICE agents and far-right groups near polling sites, particularly in suburban areas. In response, Sherrill maintained her commitment to protecting voters and ensuring their rights to cast ballots in the November 3rd midterm elections.
“We’ve been planning and preparing for this. I find this incredibly chilling. As I’ve been meeting with our election protection team, this (intimidation) is the first time that they regard the biggest threat to our elections,” she said. “That is shocking to me, and yet, that is where we find ourselves.”
“On Election Day…we think some of the ways that federal agents will try to upend our election is through somebody at a polling place not understanding the law or allowing them to have access to things they shouldn’t,” she said.
Despite those concerns, Sherrill said she believes that New Jersey has one of the most mature election protection systems in the country.
“So, we’ve been doing a lot of legal training with people running our systems so that they can make sure that they are turning away federal agents when appropriate, and then also alerting us so that we’re aware of what’s going on in our state,” Sherill said.
Regular meeting with ethnic media
When asked if she would be open to regularly meeting and holding press events with ethnic and community media, she expressed her enthusiasm to the Hispanic journalists.
“I am always willing to do that. I’m really proud of the fact that this is the first administration to do ‘Ask the Governor’ in Spanish-language media,” she said.
“We do regularly meet with different Spanish- and Portuguese-language outlets, [as well as] with the Indian-American community. But I’m really more than happy to expand that. I’ve met on occasion with Korean-language outlets as well, in Bergen County, but would love to do more in all of the different areas across the state.”
Considering a Latino Lt. Governor
Would Gov. Sherrill consider selecting a Latina or Latino as her lieutenant governor?
“We are vetting them now. We’re moving very rapidly. But something that I’m really committed to in my government is making sure that the people who serve New Jersey look like New Jersey, and that every community is very well represented,” the governor said.
She added, “As you know, one of the fastest-growing communities is our Latino community. So, we are working on that now; we don’t have a lot of time left. But, yes, I certainly am considering a diverse group of people.”
Sherrill noted that a new lieutenant governor will be announced around the time of the midterm elections, once background checks are complete.
‘Are our communities safe?’
Representatives from Hispanic media also sought reassurance from the governor regarding the safety of immigrant community members living in New Jersey.
Sherrill promised that she is working with community groups and various federal partners to ensure the safety and protection of children and families.
“We’ve put more money into the defense fund because we feel like there’s a lot of people who don’t have access to proper legal recourse,” she said.
“I think this election is so incredibly important because we need some inroads to federal power. We expand our state power, but we also need partners at the federal level,” she noted.
The governor also urged New Jerseyans to remain vigilant and share recordings of ICE activity. “We’ve asked people to upload videos into the portal that the state is running so that we can better track their actions in the state.”
This press briefing with Gov. Mikie Sherrill is part of the Center for Cooperative Media’s initiatives to support New Jersey’s ethnic and community media and serve local communities by building stronger connections between these outlets, government leaders, experts, and communities across the state.
Anthony Advincula is the ethnic and community media director at the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University. Contact him at advinculaa@montclair.edu.
About the Center for Cooperative Media: The Center is a primarily grant-funded program of the College of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. Its mission is to grow and strengthen local journalism and support an informed society in New Jersey and beyond. The Center is supported with funding from Montclair State University, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Democracy Fund, the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium, Rita Allen Foundation, Google News Initiative, and John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. For more information, visit centerforcooperativemedia.org.
