Local sheriffs in New Jersey are caught in the crosshairs of a Trump administration's target on undocumented residents, and a state law that prohibits the sheriffs from working with Ice immigration and Customs Enforcement.

It's left a lot of questions over how they can do their job and which administration they should listen to.

Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan takes a look at the conundrum many sheriffs are finding themselves in.

I want to make it clear I'm not one of those people that thinks every single immigrant needs to be put on a plane and sent back home.

But Cape May County Sheriff Bob Nolan says he'd welcome a renewed chance to work with Ice agents as they ramp up the hunt for undocumented immigrants who could pose, quote, serious concerns to residents in his county.

But in 2018, New Jersey's Immigrant Trust Directive barred local law enforcement from participating in ISIS civil enforcement raids or turning over detainees held at county jails for minor criminal offenses.

Nolan joined Ocean County in lawsuits to overturn that directive.

They lost.

My position was I was not a supporter of a sanctuary county.

But until that law was changed, or modified, I'm kind of stuck.

And, I've spoken to many of the sheriffs in our state organization, and a lot of them feel the way I do.

But Nolan now sees opportunity for change.

The Trump administration's pushing to meet enhanced arrest quotas after the president promised the largest mass deportation in U.S. history.

Newly minted U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi is suing Illinois and New York in federal court over certain state laws that forbid, cooperate with Ice.

You will be held accountable if you do not follow federal law.

It's over.

It ends, and we're coming after you.

If the Trump administration is successful in, somehow getting that immigrant trust directive modified or changed, I think I'd be quite happy.

All of these sheriffs, all law enforcement across New Jersey, are still bound by the Immigrant Trust directive.

And the ACLU's Molly Lyndhurst says federal law doesn't override the state's authority to direct its own law enforcement officers.

She calls the Justice Department lawsuits performative.

They're providing greater airtime to Trump's narrative about, immigration, one that's causing panic among immigrant communities, pushing people into the shadows.

The second thing they're doing is bullying jurisdictions into trying to get them to do the government's bidding.

There's a tremendous fear in the immigrant community.

And they're they're reacting, you know, as I say, by not sending their children to school, not going to work, not walking the streets, you know, going underground.

Advocate Frank Argo says redoubled Ice raids undermine cooperation between immigrant communities and local law enforcement.

Attorney General Matt Platkin said in a statement Jersey's directive has for over six years, allowed state and local officials to work with federal authorities to remove violent criminals from this country, while otherwise ensuring that individuals who are victims or witnesses to a crime can safely come forward to New Jersey law enforcement officials, regardless of their immigration status.

There's a lane for federal immigration enforcement, and there's a claim for, enforcing against crimes in the state of New Jersey.

And so that's basically what it is.

I think it has worked.

There are folks who want to sort of add to that.

I think we'll see where that lands.

Nolan acknowledges the fear in immigrant communities.

When Ice agents showed up for his recent swearing in ceremony as the new president of Jersey's Sheriffs Association.

Social media sent out alerts and people panicked.

What I want to do is a similar to ICE's mission target my enforcement to those bad actors that the present.

I don't ever want to see little children scared to go to school or businesses that are struggling in this economic environment.

Closing the doors because of rumors.

And it was it was it was horrible.

The sheriff says he wants to do more outreach in the immigrant community.

I'm Brenda Flanagan and you spotlight news.