"Despite our successes in Afghanistan, the President has warned that terrorists may be operating in the United States, requiring the nation to stay on high alert for perhaps years.  In order to protect our region from these threats, we must ensure that our law enforcement officials have the requisite resources and manpower to investigate and prosecute those who wish to harm this country," said Andrews.  "This legislation will give these brave men and women the tools to fight crime and terror in our region and I thank my colleagues for joining me today to renew our support for this important proposal."

In March of 2001, the federal court judges for the district of New Jersey voted 10 to 9 in favor of the creation of this second judicial district.  The Third Circuit Court of Appeals, however chose not to endorse the creation of a second district in September of 2001.  Despite this ruling, the proposal can still be enacted through an act of Congress.  Rep. Andrews has pledged to work with Senator Corzine and Rep. LoBiondo to build support in the Congress to pass this measure. 

Congressman Rob Andrews’ legislation will establish a new federal Judicial District in New Jersey to be located in Trenton and Camden, which would serve Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean, Salem, Somerset and Warren counties.   The proposed legislation that was originally introduced in the 106th Congress and re-introduced in the 107th Congress, would divide the State into two separate federal judicial districts; currently, all of New Jersey is contained in one single federal judicial district. By adding a new district, South Jersey would receive added law enforcement resources. Based on the 2000 New Jersey Uniform Crime Report, these 13 Southern New Jersey Counties account for over 36% of the violent crimes and over 52% of all arrests statewide.  Yet, South Jersey does not receive a proportional amount of law enforcement resources. There are 256 FBI agents stationed in the north, and only 86 in the south. There are 29 Deputy US Marshals in Newark, while there are only seven in Trenton and eight in Camden.  There is only one actual U.S. Marshal who works in Newark. 

Senator Corzine and Rep. LoBiondo have pledged their support to this project and will work with Congressman Andrews to move legislation in the House and the Senate to accomplish this goal.  Also lending their support for this project are representatives of the NJ County Bar Associations for Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem counties, as well as representatives of law enforcement agencies all of which support Andrews' efforts. 

"This is a proposal that makes sense for both North and South Jersey," said Senator Corzine.  "South Jersey gets the resources it deserves and the courts in Newark will be able to focus their resources more carefully." 

“With our growing population and the increasing need for access to federal courts, it is time that South Jersey had its own federal judicial district,” said Rep. Frank LoBiondo (N.J.-2) “Our bill, endorsed by a wide array of law enforcement professionals, prosecutors, lawyers and the business community, would give our region increased law enforcement resources to safeguard our communities from crime and would also give our citizens better access to justice.” 

Rep. Andrews and Senator Corzine next traveled to the Immigration and Naturalization Service office in Cherry Hill, NJ to announce the acquisition of $1,200,000 in federal funds to build a permanent INS sub-office facility in South Jersey.  As a result of this expansion, the South Jersey INS office will upgrade from its current 65 employees to approximately 90 INS employees.  This increase in personnel will allow INS officials in South Jersey to expand their processing and investigative efforts to expedite the processing of legal aliens seeking to enter this country while identifying possible terrorist suspects seeking to enter the country to harm its citizens.

"Last week FBI Director Robert Mueller told reporters that sleeper cells of terrorists may well continue to operate in the United States, awaiting orders to attack.  The INS is our first defense in our Nation's ability to defend against another attack by working to prevent terrorists from entering this country and locating those who are already here," said Andrews. "I am pleased to announce this timely addition as it will enable our local INS officials to prevent terrorist infiltration through South Jersey while ensuring that those immigrants who seek to enter our country legally are afforded with an expeditious and fair evaluation."

Congressman Andrews contacted the INS in October of 2000 to request an expansion in services.  The INS is currently working to identify a site for construction of this new facility and is expected to break ground on the new facility in the next year.  In the interim, the INS Director for the Eastern Region, J. Scott Blackman, has allocated an additional $160,000 to expand the current facility through the renovation of approximately 10,000 square feet of additional temporary office space.  This move will allow the agency to temporarily expand their operation to better serve South Jersey residents as they await their permanent facility. 

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