New Jersey Judge Recommended for Removal Over ICE Threats to Families

A New Jersey judge, Britt J. Simon, faces a recommendation for removal from his municipal court positions after a judicial conduct committee found his behavior constituted harassment and intimidation. Simon, who has been suspended without pay since February 2025, allegedly used offensive language and threatened minors and their parents with deportation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during truancy hearings.

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There's a new sheriff in town.

The committee's report, as detailed by NJ Monitor, highlighted several disturbing incidents. In one particularly egregious case in August 2024, Simon reportedly called a 16-year-old from El Salvador a "beggar" and "piece of trash." He also threatened the teen's mother with ICE deportation due to the student's absences from school.

Further investigation, including recordings of hearings from 2024 and 2025, revealed Simon shouting and speaking aggressively toward minors. In a January 2025 hearing, he warned a 14-year-old girl, "There's a new sheriff in town," and suggested the courts were a "great place" to find individuals with immigration issues. In another instance, he threatened to send a young woman to a group home in Newark, telling her, "You better not sleep. Don't close your eyes, because you'll be defeated."

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You better not sleep. Don't close your eyes, because you'll be defeated.

The committee concluded that Simon's conduct created an appearance of bias based on people's origin and demonstrated a lack of control. His actions as a municipal judge in Bridgewater, Somerville, Raritan, and Bound Brook were deemed to have used immigration threats as a tool to instill fear, particularly exploiting the vulnerability of undocumented individuals to pressure students. Simon began his judicial service in January 2023.

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You are a beggar and a piece of trash.