Trenton Council Bars Police Help With Civil ICE Enforcement

Trenton City Council voted June 16, 2026, to prohibit the Trenton Police Department from assisting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with civil immigration enforcement.

The ordinance creates a city policy boundary between Trenton police and federal immigration authorities. It followed public comments and debate about the scope of local police cooperation with ICE, including questions about the need for judicial warrants.

What the ordinance covers

The measure concerns civil immigration enforcement. It does not address ordinary criminal investigations, and the policy is focused on whether city police may assist ICE in civil immigration matters.

That distinction matters because the ordinance sets rules for the relationship between a local police department and a federal agency without making a broader statement about every form of contact between Trenton police and federal authorities.

Why it matters in Trenton

The council’s action affects police procedures and the way immigrant residents may interact with city government. Local policy decisions about cooperation can shape where residents draw the line between city services and federal immigration enforcement.

Trenton Journal reported that the ordinance was adopted during the council’s June 16 meeting and described the action as a response to advocacy and public concern over local law-enforcement interactions with federal immigration authorities. WHYY likewise characterized the vote as a city-level prohibition on police assistance to ICE in civil enforcement.

The vote is the confirmed action taken by the council. Public reports do not set out the ordinance’s full section-by-section text or identify separate implementation guidance and disciplinary procedures.