Immigrant Support is NOT Domestic Terrorism: NJ Needs Protection from National Security Presidential Memorandum 7
Dear friends and allies,
I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all the immigrant rights organizations, activists, and supporters who made the passing of the ITA possible. Your incredible work demonstrates that when we unite our efforts, we achieve the outcomes we seek.
However, the ITA will not shield us from all of the impending threats. According to Trump’s orders, we will all be subject to this National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7) signed by Trump in September of 2025. NSPM-7 calls for state and local police participation in a political crackdown. NSPM-7 defines 10 categories of opinions that if you hold opinions on one or more of the topics disagreeable to MAGA you are proclaimed to be a “domestic terrorist” and subject to potential police, military, legal and even lethal harm – like Renee Good was. Renee Good might have been the first NSPM-7 street summary execution and if we do not act it can be the first with many more to follow!
You can read the official NSPM-7 memo here.
It is not a coincidence that immediately after the murder of Renee Good by ICE the Trump administration proclaimed without evidence that she is a ‘domestic terrorist’ who weaponized her car for a terrorist act. That is the precise m.o. as defined in NSPM-7. One of the 10 categories is “extremist on migration” – in other words if you oppose Trump’s immigration policy you are proclaimed to be a “domestic terrorist” subject to legal, police and military – including potential lethal – harms and the crackdown is being carried out by the Joint Terrorist Task Force which is coordinated by the FBI and involves active police participation by the NJ State Police, county and local police departments and agencies.
NSPM-7 is an attempt to create a false legal construct where the government proclaims you to be a domestic terrorist based upon your opinions without any evidence that you broke any law whatsoever. Trump in NSPM-7 claims the government can treat you as if you broke anti-terrorist laws with brutal police and military force and total disregard for your legal rights as a citizen or resident of the USA – like what happened to Renee Good because you disagree with his policies – in this case on immigration.
As an immigrant, activist, and advocate for human and immigrant rights, I have fought alongside many of you in New Jersey for over a decade for immigration reform. We have faced numerous challenges together, and now that the ITA will be enacted, it’s imperative we extend those protections to safeguard all of us from the hazards posed by the NSPM-7.
I and dozens of others have signed this statement – calling for protection from the harms in NJ that have befallen Renee Good and others – based upon the false proclamation of being a “domestic terrorist” because we disagree with Trump’s immigration crackdown. We need a growing number of people to unite behind this statement and/or make their own statements and actions calling for the NJ government to protect its citizens and residents from direct NJ police participation in this violent political crackdown by the Trump Administration. Protections like we just achieved in the Immigrant Trust Act preventing police involvement in civil immigration enforcement need to be extended by OAG directive or legislatively – with urgency – to prohibit NJ participation in political investigations and bringing police, military, legal and possibly lethal harm to NJ citizens and residents.
You can sign the statement here.
On October 13, I collaborated with Fightbackbetter editor Bob Witanek to send a letter to then gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill, urging her to engage with the NJ Attorney General to implement protective measures for activists and advocates against the threats posed by NSPM-7. This letter was also sent to Governor Murphy and other elected officials. I took this step despite being Mikie Sherrill’s opponent in the GPNJ gubernatorial race, fully aware that it could negatively impact my campaign while benefiting her. As a Congresswoman, she wields significant influence, yet to date, we have not received a response.
Once again, we call on the newly elected Governor Mikie Sherrill to confront the dangers posed by NSPM7, which have escalated following the shooting of legal observer Renee Good by an ICE officer, an act authorized by Trump, who has publicly stated his approval for ICE agents to use lethal force against anyone interfering with their operations. In recent months, ICE has aggressively targeted individuals in NJ who appear to be immigrants, acting without respect for citizens and without warrants.
The Mikie Sherrill administration will begin on January 20th with a grand celebration at the Mall of America, presenting her as a celebrity while ICE continues to ravage our communities, rendering us more vulnerable than ever. When will she take a stand against the unlawful actions of ICE? Will she act to prevent the enforcement of NSPM7 in New Jersey, which threatens to prosecute activists, organizations, and allies, including pro-Palestine groups? While we are pleased to know that the ITA will soon become law, regrettably, it does not alleviate the dangers presented by NSPM7.
In light of these alarming developments, and knowing that ICE officers have shot others in separate incidents, I urge you to add your names, both individually and as organizations, to our (previous letter – link) advocating for protective measures from New Jersey state authorities. It is essential that we unite to ensure the safety of our communities and avert further violence.
Please join us in this urgent call to action. Together, we can make a difference.
Please join this statement and please get in touch with us so that we can discuss how best to build off the tremendous success of passage of the ITA package to continue to fight to extend that protection to the rapid Response teams and other immigrant support activities in NJ. You can reach me at lilyb65@gmail.com .
Sincerely,
Lily Benavides
