President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown across the U.S. continues to generate fear and controversy among several communities in the Garden State.

While significant opposition is focused at the federal level, many residents and local organizations in New Jersey are bringing their demands to Trenton.

Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan has more on the day of action aimed at passing a bill to protect immigrant communities.

Protesters lobbied across New Jersey at state lawmakers, officers including Senate President Nick Qataris and Clarke, where they urged the powerful Democrat to get behind the proposed Immigrant Trust Act.

The bill would codify certain protections for undocumented immigrants, but it's languished in committee since its introduction last August.

Advocates argued new Jersey lawmakers need to act now.

Reverend Seth Carbondale heads a nonprofit for immigrant refugees.

I think Democrats are afraid, and I think that everybody is afraid right now.

And I think the community in new Jersey needs to tell our elected officials that fear can't win the day.

Some 20 folks entered Secretary's office and met with his chief of staff, who ordered cameras off during the chat.

Scutari wasn't there and has refused to comment on the bill, although he did tell the new Jersey monitor he hasn't read it yet and so can't really speak intelligently in terms of what it does and what it doesn't do.

Jersey's Assembly Speaker also had no comment.

With all 80 Assembly members on November's ballot plus a wide open governor's race, immigration reform is a politically hot third rail in a state with more than 425,000 undocumented residents.

The thing that's changed dramatically is that, it feels to me like rather than elected leadership feeling strong to stand up there now, hedging their bets everywhere you can think there has been overwhelming cowardice within our legislative bodies for years.

That has gotten us to this point that our immigration system has yet to be fixed.

Jersey's ACLU sponsored a zoom conference of advocates who cited recent Ice raids, like the one at a Newark fish market in the face of the Trump administration's promise to launch the largest mass deportation in U.S. history.

Even rescinding sanctuary status for churches, schools and hospitals.

What the Trump administration is doing is, is going literally, after all, all immigrants, right?

Not just criminals like they've been mentioning, but after people who've been here 15, 20 plus years.

And that's very harmful for for our communities because it's creating a lot of, a lot of fear.

We hear of parents scared of sending their children to school or go to work from teachers who are worried about how to best protect their students from local business owners and communities.

After Ice presence is reported who find their once busy businesses are empty as people are driven further into the shadows.

The proposed Immigrant Trust Act would shield personal information from disclosure by state and local government agencies, universities and health care facilities to federal immigration law enforcement.

They'd codify and enhance the state attorney General's Immigrant Trust directive that now guides new Jersey law enforcement, a directive that has withstood legal challenges so far.

But it would eliminate carve outs in the directive that disproportionately target black and brown immigrants in the criminal legal system.

This bill is so important so that we can actually almost like, stop the bleed so that we can build something new and fix our actual system so people can access the things that they need.

The new U.S. attorney general's already sued Illinois and New York over state statutes that protect undocumented immigrants.

Four of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, whose deputies just resigned amidst political turbulence following the Justice Department's move to dismiss corruption charges against Adams and his subsequent cooperation with Ice.

In this moment, it is more urgent than ever that new Jersey lawmakers stand with the immigrant community members.

Our democracy is in crisis.

Your constituents are watching.

Indeed, the entire country is watching to see what you do next to protect our neighbors, our coworkers, and our loved ones.

We call on you to stand up for the fair and welcoming future we all deserve, and pass the Immigrant Trust Act immediately.

The bill's been assigned to New Jersey's Senate Judiciary Committee.

I'm Brenda Flanagan, NJ Spotlight News.