New Jersey’s Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy has changed his stance on border policies after refusing to take in immigrants as proposed under a Biden administration scheme, even though the governor had earlier insisted on building a “sanctuary state.”
The Biden administration recently proposed that some of the 60,000 asylum seekers in New York City could be moved to the Atlantic City International Airport in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. The decision triggered a sharp reaction from New Jersey politicians.
“I don't see any scenario where we're going to be able to take in a program in Atlantic City or frankly elsewhere in the state,” Mr. Murphy said during News 12 New Jersey’s “Ask Gov. Murphy” show.
“We are already seeing folks in New Jersey that have probably swelled into Jersey from New York City or from other locations, but you need scale, enormous amount of federal support—resources that go beyond anything that we can afford—putting everything else aside.”
Mr. Murphy’s concerns about housing illegal immigrants and asylum seekers comes despite the fact that he has been a vocal supporter of liberal immigration policies over the past years. In 2017, while he was a candidate, Mr. Murphy insisted on making New Jersey a “sanctuary state.”
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy gives a victory speech to supporters at Grand Arcade at the Pavilion in Asbury Park, N.J., on Nov. 3, 2021. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)
At the time, his competitor, the Republican nominee for governor, warned about the dangers of providing sanctuary to undocumented immigrants and accused Mr. Murphy of seeking to “violate” the federal law and putting people at risk.
However, Mr. Murphy insisted that sanctuary policies were about “inclusiveness” and the election was about the “nation’s moral compass” and “the goodness of America,” according to Politico.
In a joint statement, a group of Republican legislators from New Jersey’s 13th district said, “New Jersey should not in any way, shape or form be used as a scapegoat to bear the fallout of failed Democrat Policies which continuously impact Americans and immigrants.”
“It is well past time for the Governor and our U.S. Senators to make it clear to New York City and Washington, D.C., that New Jersey will not tolerate their inabilities to implement real, effective changes to address the immigration crisis facing this nation.”
“The State of New Jersey should not become a tool to gloss over the gross ineptitude of federal politicians to produce a fair resolution.”
In an interview with the outlet, Republican Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson said that he will do his “best to prevent” migrants from being sent to the region. Atlantic County is one of the poorest counties in the state.
“We can’t afford it. We’re a poor county. We’re one of the poorest counties in New Jersey. It’s not a burden I can put on our taxpayers.”
Democrats Fight Over Immigrants
While New Jersey is rejecting the Biden administration's proposal to send some of New York's illegal immigrants to their state, New York's leaders are facing heat over the impacts of their own party's border policies and the resulting immigrant surge, with Democrats blaming each other for the situation.
NY Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul is pushing the blame onto the Biden administration.
“This crisis originated with the federal government, and it must be resolved through the federal government … The borders and decisions about who can work are solely determined by the federal government,” she said.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul gives a speech in New York on Jan. 31, 2023. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Eric Adams is blaming Ms. Hochul for the crisis. “I think the governor's wrong. She's the governor of the state of New York. New York City is in that state. Every county in this state should be part of this,” he said during a recent speech.
Over the past year, more than 55,000 foreigners have sought asylum in New York City, claiming to be at threat of violence and persecution in their home nations, according to the City Hall.
The Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget calculates the cost of providing shelter and other services to these illegal immigrants and asylum seekers at $1.4 billion in 2023 and $2.8 billion in 2024.
Last month, comedian commentator Bill Maher slammed progressive leaders for their handling of the immigration crisis. “Don’t pretend that you love migrants so much and then, when [border states] send them to you, you don’t like them,” he said during a podcast.
“Yeah, you liked them when it wasn’t your problem because you’re not a border state. And then when they show up in Chicago, in New York, you’re like ... 'What are we going to do with these people?’”
Immigrant Numbers Jump Under Biden
The migrant crisis in New York is happening as the number of illegal immigrants crossing into America across the southwest land border has surged under the policies of the current administration.
Illegal immigrants wait to be taken by Border Patrol to a processing facility to begin their asylum-seeking process in Eagle Pass, Texas, on June 25, 2023. (Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images)
In 2020, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported 458,088 encounters in the southwest land border. This jumped to 1.73 million in 2021 and then to 2.37 million in 2022. As of July, the encounters have already exceeded 1.97 million.
In an interview with Breitbart last month, presidential hopeful Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) highlighted the need to complete President Donald Trump's border wall.
“The number one thing we should do is finish the border wall. The second thing that we should do is use the available technology to stop the fentanyl from killing another 70,000 Americans per year.”
Mr. Scott also stressed the need to “crush the cartels.”
“We cut off their blood support, so to speak, by taking away their money. If we do that, we’ll save tens of thousands of American lives.
“I wrote the legislation to get that done. It was passed through the Senate,” he said. The bill is yet to become law.
