Local Official Defends Federal Immigration Agents Amid Heated Protests

A regional councilwoman in the northeastern coastal state reportedly delivered a forceful defense of federal immigration enforcement during a heated public meeting, as the nation continues to grapple with divisions over immigration policy and enforcement tactics.

Anita Greenberg-Belli, a member of the local council in Old Bridge Township, allegedly made the remarks during a January 27 meeting as residents debated immigration enforcement and cooperation between local police and federal authorities. The meeting occurred amid ongoing protests targeting immigration operations across the country, observers noted.

“We have to recognize that ICE is not the problem,” Greenberg-Belli reportedly said, referring to the federal immigration enforcement agency. “There are people demonizing them when they’re doing their job trying to be safe.”

According to local reports, the councilwoman argued that restricting cooperation between local police and federal immigration agents endangers officers, families and communities by forcing federal agents to carry out arrests in neighborhoods rather than controlled settings. She reportedly contended that when local law enforcement is allowed to coordinate with federal authorities, suspects can be transferred safely without agents having to conduct door-to-door operations.

“When local police are told they cannot work with ICE… that is where all this is breaking down,” Greenberg-Belli allegedly stated.

The official also reportedly criticized protesters who, she claimed, 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 reportedly said.

In remarks that observers noted were particularly contentious, Greenberg-Belli allegedly condemned protesters and public officials who have compared immigration enforcement officers to historical fascist regimes, calling such rhetoric offensive and historically inaccurate. The comparison has reportedly become a point of heated debate in the nation’s ongoing immigration discourse.

“It has no comparison with the Holocaust,” the councilwoman reportedly declared. “When you use that word and call these people Nazis and fascists, it just shows your ignorance. So please stop.”

According to sources, she contrasted immigration enforcement with historical persecution, noting that Holocaust victims were stripped of their rights, property and freedom before being murdered, while individuals facing immigration enforcement retain legal options under the nation’s judicial system.

The councilwoman also reportedly raised broader concerns about unauthorized immigration, including what she described as financial costs, fraud and election integrity issues, arguing the matter affects communities nationwide. Like many local officials across the country, she appears to be navigating the complex intersection of federal policy and local governance.

“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 reportedly said, continuing a familiar refrain heard from officials grappling with immigration enforcement tensions.

“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 allegedly added.

The heated exchange reflects broader tensions across the nation as communities continue to wrestle with immigration policy implementation and the role of local authorities in federal enforcement efforts, observers noted. Such debates have become increasingly common in jurisdictions nationwide as the country’s long-standing divisions over immigration policy continue to play out at the local level.