Full Notification

The Leonia Police Department is aware of recent reports regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity in the Borough and surrounding communities. Yesterday, social media posts circulated stating that ICE activity was taking place in Leonia. While those posts may have been well-intentioned, they were not accurate. The activity observed was a single Leonia Police Department detective conducting a welfare check on a resident. Unfortunately, the misinformation contributed to more than 200 Leonia High School students walking out of school to protest the reported ICE presence.

The Leonia Police Department supports activity protected under the First Amendment. However, because of the rapid spread of the online posts, we were unable to plan in advance and coordinate with students to help ensure their safety. As a result, there were several safety concerns, including students walking in active traffic lanes on public roadways. Officers addressed these situations as they developed and we appreciate the students who worked cooperatively with us to move out of the roadway and make the protest safer.

We would like to remind our community that the Leonia Police Department fully complies with the New Jersey Attorney General’s Immigrant Trust Directive. We do not assist federal immigration officers with the execution of immigration administrative warrants. At this time, we are not aware of any recent ICE activity within the Borough of Leonia.

If anyone arrives at your residence or place of business claiming to be a law enforcement officer, you have the right to ask them to identify themselves and present official credentials. You may also contact the Leonia Police Department at (201) 944-0800 and request that a uniformed officer respond to assist you.

Finally, we thank the Leonia Public Schools administration, Mayor Bill Ziegler, the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, and the students who worked with us to help ensure yesterday’s events remained safe.

Chief Scott Tamagny
Leonia Police Department

For more information on the Immigrant Trust Directive, please visit:
www.nj.gov/trust